Stories of community resilience and rapid innovation have emerged during the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. As communities, organizations, and individuals have had to shift modalities during the pandemic, they have identified ways to sustain community well-being. Prior to COVID-19, colleges and universities were hailed as anchors of economic and social resilience and well-being for communities of place. In this light, this commentary highlights stories of rapid community innovation occurring at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in the Finger Lakes region of New York. A series of vignettes are presented showcasing lessons and ongoing questions regarding rapid pivots, community values, and diversity and inclusion during (and after) the pandemic. Overall, these insights can inform future local collaborative development efforts post-COVID-19 between colleges/universities and their local community.

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This chapter chronicles a rapid pivot in community engagement from in-person tutoring to remote (also called virtual) tutoring and a gradual shift back to in-person tutoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter provides reflections from both staff members in a community engagement and service-learning office and college students who served as tutors of local children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Readers are encouraged to reflect upon two main areas of interest in this chapter. First, dynamics between parents and tutors altered during COVID-19 as children and youth received virtual tutoring from home. Second, the importance of training and professional development for tutors regarding how to use different technologies and engagement strategies for virtual tutoring is imperative. Lessons learned from the Tutor Corps program are shared via reflections from both staff and tutors in hopes that others will share their experiences in rapidly innovating their community engagement work during COVID-19.