COMMUNITY SERVICE
Cornerstone Community Service Requirement
Effective Class of 2008
The intent of community service is to encourage students to be active and engage members of their communities and to address important community issues. Service can unite neighbors, mobilize volunteers and encourage a lifelong ethic of public participation and is best performed in conjunction with a reputable public service organization. But more importantly, as the Apostle Paul points out in Ephesians 6:7-8, we are to “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. Whether he is slave or free.”
Community Service Guidelines:
- No pay may be received for services.
- No family members may be the recipients or supervisors of service.
- No credit will be given for extra curricular (co-curricular) activities.
- No service may be performed during a student’s school hours without prior approval.
- No credit may be given for grading papers.
Examples of Possible Community Service Activities
- Helping the community through church related activities
- Assisting at Boys or Girls Clubs
- Tutoring after school at an middle school or elementary
- Helping at a hospital, convalescent home or orphanage
- Working at election polling location
- Helping at a Key Club or community event
- Giving blood (2 hours of credit each time blood is given)
- Working with the Habitat for Humanity
- Helping remove graffiti – off campus
- Working with community theater
- Helping at a non-profit organization such as St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, etc…
- Helping with a community team such as soccer or baseball (coaching, refereeing, etc…)
Contacts for Community Service:
www.volunteercentral.net,
www.volunteermatch.org.,
www.volunteermatch.org/bymsa/m6780/c/opp1.html
www.volunteercentersca.org/vc_riverside.htm
www.informriverside.org/Client/InformRiverside/
www.hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobs/CA/Riverside/Non-Profit-Volunteer-jobs
www.riversideonline.com/rrmc/volunteer.cfm
www.csdr-cde.ca.gov/volprog.html
www.standupforkids.org
Guideline for Volunteers
- Schedule a visit. Making a visit to an organization that you are interested in volunteering for will give you valuable first-hand information on the type of services they offer and the environment you will be working in
- Estimate a realistic time commitment. Take all of your school work and other activities into account before scheduling the time you can give to the volunteer organization. Remember, it is easier to stat small and add hours later than to have to break a commitment for hours that you cannot fulfill because your schedule is too impacted.
- Understand your organization’s mission. This will help clarify the goals for the organization and put into perspective the work you will be doing and help illustrate how even the smallest task help progress toward the organizations success.
- Request a job description. This will clarify your responsibilities and the tasks expected of you as a volunteer and give you a clear understanding of what you can expect.
- Discuss training and supervision. Find out how the organization will support the tasks and responsibilities of its volunteers by offering training and supervision.
- Seek feedback. Volunteering is a great opportunity for personal growth and will be valuable for job and college applications. Ask for a written letter of recommendation or evaluation.
- Expect respect. The success of many service organizations lies in their dependence on volunteer work and they highly value their volunteers. If, for some reason, you feel you ar having a problem or are not being shown respect as a volunteer, please contact your counselor or supervisor.
- Be enthusiastic. Find an organization in a field that is of interest to you. This will make your volunteer work enjoyable and personally rewarding.
- Keep current records. Volunteers should keep photocopies of all verification of community service forms for their own records during their four years of high school. A signed copy should be given to your counselor and another placed in your senior portfolio.
