By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Although graduation is months away, the senior high girls in my mentoring group are already trying to figure out how to earn the top recognition for community service.
There are many ways to rack up community service hours. The easiest way is to volunteer at schools, community centers, faith-based programs, nonprofit organizations, etc.
If you want to get creative, start something on your own. You’ll get the hours and the recognition that goes along with doing something to help others. Good idea, you say, but what can I do?
Look around your neighborhood. What does it need? What is missing? What are kids complaining about? When you were younger, what did you wish your community had?
Some of the simplest ideas can yield the biggest rewards. For example, if your neighborhood has a playground that has been neglected, you can start a clean-up, paint-up and fix-up campaign.
Also, you can raise money for new playground equipment. Get neighborhood activists involved in your project. Ask them to help you lobby public officials for funding.
Once you get the ball rolling on a project, let the media know what you’re doing. That might lead to additional financial support from individuals and companies.
Existing programs also offer opportunities. An after-school program is the perfect place to introduce art, music and theater. You would be doing the kids a favor because many schools no longer offer these programs.
Tutoring is always needed, especially one-on-one. Along with the usual math and reading, why not work with students on penmanship. It’s a lost art, especially cursive writing, in this age of social media.
If you sat down and thought about it, I bet you could come up with a lot of ideas for community service hours. Your idea could lead to a scholarship in some cities. The more unique your idea, the greater your chance of standing out and grabbing one of them.