For many high school students, service hours are necessary for a variety of reasons. Some could include meeting service hour requirements for a club in school, such as Leesville’s chapter of National Honor Society, or to be able to put on their applications to apply to colleges. 

In general, all students should participate in activities to get service hours for their own morals and to help others or the community.

From animal care to park cleanups to tutoring younger students to helping in local food banks, there are plenty of opportunities to give back to the community, receive service hours, and lend a helpful hand.

With a little bit of effort and creativity, earning your service hours can become so much more than just a box-checking activity. It can become a rewarding experience that can impact you for years.

Ian Sharp, Key Club President and junior, said, “There is a website called Activate Good, and basically you can put in filters about where you live and when you are able to do activities for service hours, and it gives you plenty of opportunities for service hours,”

Local organizations like The Raleigh Rescue Mission downtown offer opportunities to serve meals, sort donations, and support drives for people who are currently experiencing homelessness. Volunteers there play a huge role in helping to keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly and in comforting those going through a rough time.

Another great option serving families in all parts of the region is the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. High school volunteers can pack boxes of nonperishable foods, organize inventory, or assist with food drives.

Madeline Carpenter, National Honor Society President and senior, said, “There are plenty of outside of school opportunities to get service hours and just feel good about helping your community. Donating to the food bank is a great way to get service hours and makes you feel rewarded to be able to help out.”

For an outdoor service hour opportunity, Raleigh Parks and Recreation regularly schedules volunteer cleanups at places like Pullen Park, Lake Johnson, and Shelley Lake. Activities can include picking up litter, planting flowers, and generally helping to keep the trails looking great.

Activities like this do count toward service hours, as well as allow students to be outdoors while learning about conserving natural resources and the importance of conserving the environment.

If you love animals, several Raleigh organizations offer volunteer opportunities to help animals in shelters. The SPCA of Wake County offers many opportunities for high school students to assist staff members with animal care, cleaning, and community events. 

While some activities may have restrictions on training or age regarding direct contact with the animals, there are still plenty of opportunities to help with everything from making toys to supporting adoption events.

Sometimes for students, having time outside of school to do an activity for service hours can be difficult due to rigorous schoolwork, clubs, and extracurricular activities. On the bright side, there are plenty of in-school service hours that Leesville offers, allowing service hours to be received super conveniently.

“Leesville has plenty of opportunities for students to get service hours. Many different clubs have different donation opportunities and service hour opportunities at their meetings. I know for the National English Honors Society, we have a service project at the end of every monthly meeting to allow students to conveniently get service hours in an easy and fun way,” said Sophia Rodriguez-Quintas, National English Honor Society President and senior.

Currently, some in-school service opportunities include the HOSA item drive, where students can donate everyday hygiene items to be donated to people in need. Donations can be dropped off in Ms. Ennis’s room. Another service opportunity currently going on is where students can donate supplies such as paper towels and trash bags to the donation drive associated with the Pride Players club. Donations can be dropped off in Ms. Ford’s room.

Service hour opportunities that happen throughout the year can be found on different clubs’ websites, social media platforms, or on flyers hung throughout the building. 

Sharp said, “There is usually a school cleanup once a year that is a really good opportunity for service hours and to help out the school… Also, asking teachers if they need any help with anything, whether it’s helping run errands for them or helping them clean their classroom, can be a good opportunity for service hours.”

Service hours can become stressful and seem difficult to get, but with all these opportunities, they are easily attainable and can make a huge difference in the community.