Est. 2012 · Worcester, MA
Students who stepped
off campus
Working for Worcester is a student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings together funding, materials, volunteers, and local expertise to build the recreation and community spaces Worcester's schools and nonprofits ask for.
Our story
From two roommates to a citywide tradition
In the fall of 2012, two Holy Cross juniors, Jeff Reppucci and Derek Kump, started W4W from their dorm room. They wanted to know the city beyond their campus gates, and what they found was a city full of neighborhoods that needed better places to play, and campuses full of students ready to work.
In the six weeks before the first Build Day, the founding team raised more than $60,000, recruited 500+ volunteers from six colleges, and planned twelve projects. Roughly 700 people showed up to that first rally in April 2013.
More than a decade later, the organization they started has reinvested millions of dollars into Worcester's schools, parks, and nonprofits, run each year by a new class of students who inherit the mission and hand it on.
The model
Entirely student-run
Students hold the budgets, the sponsor relationships, the site plans, and the day-of logistics, all as volunteers. A Community Advisory Committee of city and business leaders advises and reviews.
Founders
- Jeff Reppucci · College of the Holy Cross '14, Russian Studies
Class valedictorian, Truman Scholar, and Fulbright Scholar. A member of the Holy Cross men's ice hockey team, he received the BNY Mellon Hockey Humanitarian Award at the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four for founding W4W.
- Derek Kump · College of the Holy Cross '14, Economics
Four-year goalie for Holy Cross men's Division I ice hockey; graduated magna cum laude and received the Presidential Medal of Service from the College's president and deans.
Founding project team, fall 2012
Kelly Burke · Jack Carter · Christin Di Scipio · Alex Femia · Tom Kelly · Lisa LeBlanc · Chris Robert · Meghan Wood · Bill Garey
Milestones
How we got here
- 2012
Holy Cross juniors Jeff Reppucci and Derek Kump found W4W to connect campus energy with the city around it.
- 2013
The first Build Day: 540 volunteers and 12 sites: two playgrounds, four basketball courts, a dance studio, a baseball field, and more.
- 2015
New student leadership reinvests $100,000 in a single year, proof the model outlives its founders.
- 2019
Nearly $1.2 million invested citywide to date; volunteers now come from nine colleges.
- 2020
COVID-19 cancels Build Day. W4W pivots and raises $23,240.59 for Worcester Together emergency response.
- 2022
1,200 volunteers return in full force and build the largest playground in W4W history at City View Discovery School.
- Today
Year 15. A new class of student leaders, the same mission: build what Worcester asks for.
Governance & accountability
Guided by a Community Advisory Committee
W4W's student team is advised by Worcester civic, education, nonprofit, and business leaders who counsel on citywide reach, site selection, and resource development, and review annual operations.
- Tim GarvinPresident & CEO, United Way of Central Massachusetts
- Patricia PeterleitnerIndependent Educational Strategist
- Karen PelletierExecutive Vice President, Worcester Chamber of Commerce
- Eric BatistaCity Manager, City of Worcester
- Steven GentilucciVice President, Consigli Construction
- William AllisonProject Superintendent, Consigli Construction
- Susan HuntDirector of Government & Community Relations, College of the Holy Cross
…and all former Working for Worcester Executive Directors.
Nonprofit status
Working for Worcester is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donations are tax-deductible. Governance documents and financial information are available to sponsors and partners on request at info@workingforworcester.com.
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