Volunteering/ Service Learning Contract

Student: ___________________________________________

As you look forward to high school and college, it is important to begin compiling a well-
rounded academic resume. Well-rounded resumes show that individuals are more than
just grades and test scores. They should show a wide variety of participation in social,
creative, altruistic, and academic activities. A key piece of being a well-rounded
individual is to volunteer or participate in service learning opportunities. These win-win
activities help others while simultaneously enabling you to grow and mature into young
adults. As such, this semester we will all be participating in volunteering and/or service
learning opportunities. You are expected to decide on your own semester goal, work to
earn the goal you set, and to document earned hours, or ‘points’. Points are earned for
each hour served OR for each significant act of volunteering. All points must be verified
by adult signature.

There are many ways to volunteer. Your points may be earned with any combination of
activities. Activities can range from working with established programs (Salvation Army,
Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society; tutoring in an afterschool program;
etc.) to developing a grass roots program of your own (organizing a food/coat/toy drive;
or school clean-up day) to engaging in a personal act of volunteering (shoveling snow or
raking leaves in your neighborhood; taking cookies to a nursing home); any combination
will work as long as your acts are legitimately about helping others without expecting
anything in return. Use the chart on the back as your record sheet. Each time you earn a
point, fill out the section that describes the activity, date it, and get an adult
signature. When you have your signatures, turn the sheet in and record your results on
your bar graph.

A small sampling of possible volunteering activities/organizations to get you started:

Habitat for Humanity Good Will Humane Society
Sunflower Health Care Swim for MS Tutoring
Midnight Farm Outdoor Clean-Up Garden Club
Builders’ Club Nursing Homes United Way
Salvation Army Donations Food/Coat/Toy drives
Just Food Lawrence Community Shelter

Our goal this year is for each student to reach his/her goal for each semester. I know we
can do it!

Please ask if you have questions – don’t forget to check lmcms404.weebly.com for more
info.

Good Luck!!!
FAQ

Q: What’s the difference between volunteering and service learning?

A: Volunteering means you make a choice to help others without expecting anything in
return. Service learning means that you are engaging in a learning activity that happens
to involve helping others. Both count for our point totals.

Q: What counts and does not count as volunteering?

A: There is no set answer for this – ultimately you will have to decide if it is legitimate.
Here are some guidelines:

YES NO
Feels like helping without reward Chores
Something you wouldn’t normally do Paid work
No penalty for NOT doing it Expectation of family/authority
Significant act -- going out of your way Being courteous in everyday life

When in doubt, ask.

Q: Why is this required?

A: Because it’s good for society, good for our program, and good for you, in multiple
ways.

Q: I’m too young to do a lot of things – what am I supposed to do?

A: Join a club, create an opportunity of your own, and ask your peers what they are
doing. In fact, I encourage you to join forces with your peers to create a larger, more
impactful volunteering experience.

Q: What happens if I don’t reach my goal?

A: Plague, famine, locust, enduring shame… Not really – hopefully you will reach your
goal, but any volunteering is good experience for you.

Q: I’m too busy.

A: I get it – this is a larger question about balance, something we’ll be working on and
discussing all year. With the right tools and mindset I promise you’ll find time.

Q: I lost my sheet – what do I do?

A: Print another from the website or grab another one from the classroom.

Q: Can my parent sign instead of the adult in charge?

A: Yes, but try to get the adult’s signatures. When you’re in high school using
community service for academic organizations and scholarships they expect the real
thing, so get in the habit now.