Where can I volunteer to get my 40hrs?

Question

Where can I go to get my 40hrs of community service, that I need in order to graduate high school? I'm 16 and I just want to get them over with before my last year. Also, is it true that Universities look at how many hours you have?

Answer 1

Universities do not look at how many community service hours you have done. They don't care. What many DO care about is what kinds of community service you did, how you believe you benefitted from such, why you believe such service is important, how you made the choice for a particular organization to support and what kind of service to donate, and how you feel this service will help you in your academic pursuits.

Sounds like you not only need to acquire hours, but also, to get answers to a lot of questions for yourself.

For the USA: VolunteerMatch (http://www.volunteermatch.org), Idealist (http://www.idealist.org) and CraigsList (http://www.craigslist.com) all list volunteering opportunities with thousands of organizations. There's also this government sponsored site (http://volunteer.gov/gov/) which provides volunteer positions through USA federal land agencies like Fish & Wildlife, Forest Service, National Parks, etc. Also, contact your local volunteer center; you can find this via the Points of Light Foundation web site (http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/).

Answer 2

Here are a few ways:

1) local soup kitchen (probably run by either the salvation army or a local church)

2) volunteer in a local church's outreach programs, or, if you attend, volunteer in the Sunday school or nursery

3) Habitat for Humanity: great organization to really knock out a large chunk of hours in one day- you can work on the build site (which is surprisingly fun, from personal experience), or their may be a local habitat store you can work in

4) some schools and daycares take volunteers to read with/to the kids. Also, big brothers and big sisters is a good organization.

5)Friends for Animals or other local animal shelter: walk dogs and play with animals

For more organizations:

http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/take-action/be-a-volunteer.html

http://www.bygpub.com/books/tg2rw/volunteer.htm (specifically for teens)

To search for opportunities in your area:

http://www.idealist.org/if/as/vol

Answer 3

What do you enjoy doing? What are you good at? Your school counselor or United Way volunteer line can probably help you match what you like with what a local nonprofit needs. Most have a wish list iof things a volunteer can do. For ex I am director of a ministry that helps people in need. We need people to stock food shelves, to clean up after food distibutions, to put info in the computer, to help make our webpage more "alive"to help with newsletters, and a lot of other things. On Christmas we do a community dinner and people volunteered to help cook, serve, arrange toys and clothes, and of course clean up. At back to school time we do a clothes give away and there are tposters to be mnade, notices to write for newspapers and radio and TV, things to sort, put out etc, kids to be watched while parents get what is needed, and of course more clean up. Any one place will have many different needs depending on what you can do and like to do.

If you like sports volunteer to help at a boys or girls club sports program or a shelter teaching sport skills and sportsmanship to younger kids. If you like reading or are good at school subjects volunteer as a tutor. If you are artistic see if a shelter or a children's hospital or a nursing home can use some murals, window painting or something to brighten the place up. Use your talents in a way that serves others and works with your own interests and you will be doing more for yourself and your community than just getting the hours in to get rid of them. You might even find something that catches your heart and mind and becomes a life long concern.; At worst you will be less boared doing something you like or getting a group of friends together to get your hours in together.

Answer 4

Local animal shelter, A nursing home, Read to the children at an elementary school. Yes universities do look at community service hours.

Answer 5

Animal Shelter Nursing Home

YMCA Handicapped Children

Day Care Thrift Shop/Goodwill

Hospital Tutoring


Not sure about Universities, but good posibility.

Also looks good on work application.

Answer 6

I don't recall having to list the specific number of hours, but it definitely makes a difference with it just being on there and on your resume for when you graduate college. I would recommend that you continue to do volunteer work. Check out the admissions info for your college-of-choice. It will tell you everything you need.

Answer 7

go to a local religious center, and old school, a hospital, or anything around you that allows you.
i volunteered a local mosque and got 50 hours in a week. then i volunteered at school. food drives.
sometimes your school gives u opportunities.

Answer 8

See if your community has a Sertoma Club.

Answer 9

http://www.elks.org/
Locate your local lodge and they will have many rewarding activities that you can help out with.