Hearing the words “service hours” can be stressful for some students because all Raiders need 25 hours per year in order to graduate. Finding the time to schedule community service can be challenging or stressful for those who already dedicate their extra time to extracurricular activities and studies. It’s not all bad though: serving your community has many benefits and advantages.
Serving your community can expose you to great opportunities that you would never know you enjoyed. Volunteering and providing service helps you connect with other people and build stronger relationships. Furthermore, it allows you to enhance your community and make it a better place for everyone. Ironically, serving your community can actually relieve stress. Knowing that you are working towards a good cause brings peace of mind and helps alleviate worries.
The STA MobileServe website is a great resource that is available as a tool to track and find opportunities to gain hours. MobileServe allows students to track their service hours to make sure they have the required amount for the individual year (25 hours) and the total amount necessary to graduate (100 hours). Additionally, MobileServe provides fun and interactive service opportunities that students can sign up for with the click of a button. This online hour tracker is helping students complete their requirements, while making it a fun and easy task to complete. MobileServe provides many organizations for those eager to volunteer. Some of these options include:
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- The American Red Cross – Help our community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities – A non-profit corporation that creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children.
- Voices For Children Foundation – Raise funds to ensure that every abused and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court-appointed Guardian and other resources.
- Lotus House – A woman’s shelter that houses homeless women and children and provides food and shelter as a resource.
Visit MobileServe to find more service hour opportunities to help the community around you!
Service hours are not only required for graduation, but they are a crucial factor to help many individuals get into college. Many colleges don’t just look to see if a box was checked off, but to see if a student went above and beyond to help their community and exemplify characteristics of compassion, commitment, curiosity, and dedication. When students complete their service hours as an extracurricular activity, it stands out to those colleges that are looking for the best of the best, which can ultimately land you a spot in the college of your dreams.
Even though the thought of service hours may seem grueling and stressful, you should look at it from another perspective. The advantages of volunteering outweigh the negatives; serving your community can make you a better person, connect you with others, relieve stress, and give colleges one more reason why they should accept you. So find some time in your schedule and go serve your community, it’s worth it.
