Coaches Round Table - Any ideas on how to serve community service?

Any ideas on how to serve community service?

I've reasently been inducted into the national honor society at my high school. As a membership requirement we have to serve a minimun of 12 hours community service each semester. The problem is, I have no idea what kinds of things to do!! Baby sitting and church projects don't count. Plese help me come up with ideas. When ever I think of community service I think of picking up trash by the side of the road in a bright orange jump suit and having all the cars driving by and laughing at the teenage screw up. I really, really don't want to do that. Does anyone have any fun ideas about what type of community service projects I could do?

Public Comments

You can go to the human society and be a dog walker or play with the cats to help give them attention You could call red cross and ask if you can help out. I think it would look good on a college applications as well or on your resume for future use. You can candy strip at a hospital/retirement home
What about helping out at a hospital? You could help patients or work in the gift shop. Try a fire department or rescue squad. They always need someone to wash the equipment. Maybe a library or day care center would count too. You could try an after school program, local Girl Scout Troop or Cub Scout Pack if you like working with elementary school age kids.
Nursing homes can always use teenagers to visit. Hospitals need people to rock preemies in the nursery.
Any community group would probably love a volunteer- CNIB, Mental Health, schools, day cares, retirement homes, hospitals, cancer society, health and stroke society....... Good for you!!!!!
That's a different kind of community service. The orange jump suit crew doesn't need you. Though if you want to volunteer for a roadside cleanup or a stream or lake side clean up volunteer with an ecology group that adopts a stream or a roadside. This would be with a bunch of ppl who care about ecology and are decent folks. You can probably find a group that adopts specific areas like that through your state dept of natural resources or local park dept. For other kinds of community service call the United Way or Volunteer Bureau in your area or look in the yellow pages or talk to your school counselor about groups in the area that help people in need. What do you like to do? If you like animals look for a no kill shelter or a zoo in your area where you can volunteer. If you like flowers volunteer at a botanical garden or park. If you like computers volunteer to give computer lessons at a senior center, a children's shelter, a job training place for moms who are trying to get off welfare. Or offer to input data or do net research. Like babies and helping ppl? volunteer at a day care center, a life center that helps married girls decide not to get abortions. Like to write or draw or take pictures ask the volunteer bureau to match you with an organization that needs help with newsletters. Still stuck? How about a local food ministry. You can do anything from handing out food and helping cary food packages to the car for disabled folks, putting cans of food on shelves, cleaning up the place, helping with record keeping nresletters, fundraising, etc. Find one through www.secondhgarvest.org Also check out your local boys and girls club and tell them you'd like to help younger kids. They have a lot of stuff you can help with from computers to basketball to cleaning up the floors. You can try all sorts of different things doing something new each month. You can get together a bunch of ppl and do a big service project like putting on a concert or car wash for March of Dimes, MDA, or whoever or you can pick one organization and consistantly put in 3 hrs a week or 6 hrs every other week, The first method lets you explore different possibilities and learn about different needs in your community, That is good for a few months but consistant committment and/or leadership skills (helping organize something) would probably make a bigger impression on any college recruiters. BTW writing an article or doing a photo essay for your school paper on different types of volunteer service that ppl are doing would be a really great idea then put a copy in a folder and have it on file for next yr's new inductees would be a service to the honor society.
People have given some great ideas for community service/volunteering such as at a local hospital in certain departments (non patient care, of course :) which can include helping out on a nursing floor filling up patients' water containers, taking messages to different departments such as the laboratory or radiology. Other types of volunteer positions can be front desk/visitor check-in, ER (emergency room) liaison where the volunteer may keep families of ER patients company, informed and provide emotional support. I'm sure that that position can be pretty intense sometimes. Or they may need help in the medical records office or such. Most, if not all, hospitals have a volunteer coordinator that you can contact by calling the hospital's main number. Nursing homes can use a 'friendly visitor' I'm sure. Some even have a program with that name. Afterschool programs can perhaps use high school honor students as tutors and/or mentors. You can probably just call the main administration building of your school district if tutoring elementary students is something that you feel would be rewarding, and ask who to speak with about participating as a volunteer. I volunteer reading to a couple of kids in Kindergarten that don't really get read to at home, and it is just a great feeling to be helping someone else while not getting any renumeration for it. Wishing you lots of luck and a very fulfilling experience!
Well : according to our "Orginization we'd Sponsor the Kiwanis Key Clubs International where you'd can Volunteer by helping in Youth programs like Donating food towards the Homeless Shelters yes " this is an great idea
Most cities have Lions clubs theyalso Have leo clubs for teen agers ask around or go on web lionsinternational..
if you like people, find your local St. Vincent DePaul, they'd be more than happy to have you work with them. The Andre House, (I'm not sure if this is just in Az) volunteer at your local church volunteer at your grade school for tutoring etc. Find what ever makes you happy.
I suggest that you check out your local volunteer center. They specialize in connecting you with all sorts of fun projects that match your interest and meet real community needs. Volunteer Centers can provide you with one-time or short-term projects, and can connect you with other non-profit organizations for longer-term projects. Through my volunteer center, I tutor children at the library, work at the food bank packaging food, play with the children at the local children's shelter, and a whole bunch of other projects. Here are some links to help you find your local volunteer center: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/our-network/ http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/find_center.cfm As non-profit agencies, volunteer centers can also provide you with the appropriate paperwork you will need for your school project/service requirement. Good luck!
Since you need to volunteer, call your local government. either the city or village you live in and see what type of programs they have. you may even find that you like doing community service and get involved to a greater degree. congrats on your honors, and it's good to hear you work at your church.
assalam o alikum, u can join a charity hospital and give ur services there + any school, and teach kids there, esp u can go to the slum areas.
I saw a recent episode of Montel Williams where a young girl started a student-to-student mentoring program called Girl Talk that is quickly expanding across the states. In this program Middle School girls are matched with role model High School girls. Check out their website and consider starting a chapter in your school or hometown. http://www.desiretoinspire.org/