Top 5: Get those community service hours

by Sophie Werwage

Alex Marre, Editor-in-Chief, newsmagazine
December 5, 2018

To all the juniors and seniors out there who are on edge about collecting community service hours, or even to the freshmen and sophomores planning to get ahead, listen up. As a high school student we are required to contribute 20+ hours to the community. Not hard, right? Truth is it shouldn’t be, yet some of us procrastinate; one year goes by following another and BAM here you are reading this for ideas. The clock is ticking and I’m here to tell you simple, fast ways to get those hours you need.

  1. Schools

One tip I always recommend is looking back to your previous schools. Remember all those fun runs and events during your time in elementary and middle school? Well, guess what, they all had volunteers working those events. Now you can volunteer too! Having a volunteer be a previous student already forms a stronger trust and it’s always fun to reminisce while you’re there.

  1. Animal shelters

This is for all the animal lovers in the audience. Local shelters usually already have a short budget and are thrilled to get enthusiastic volunteers. More volunteers means the shelter can expand the amount of animals they can take in. I highly recommend contacting shelters and expressing interest in volunteering  if you enjoy a furry friend’s company.

  1. Libraries

To the book worms, try seeking out hours at the local library. You not only get to show off your organization skills, but also may have to chance to read to the younger children and help with sorting events.

  1. Hospitals

Volunteering at a hospital isn’t all blood and needles, but more cheering up patients and running gifts. Not only does this type of volunteer work look great on college applications it teaches a fast paced environment and the many important, different aspects in a hospital office.

  1. Local Parks and Beaches

For all my nature lovers, I recommend looking into already established programs run by local parks. But, maybe you’re more of an ocean breeze and sand beneath your feet type. Well, don’t worry it is Carlsbad and many of our beautiful beaches have programs that volunteer time to cleaning and preserving the coast. Spending your time out in nature, yes please!