Letter in Community Service
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in it for me?
After we validate your hours of community service by contacting each of your volunteer activity supervisors directly, you will be honored at a ceremony in the spring (typically a dessert reception). You will receive a certificate proudly announcing your Letter in Community Service as well as your high school varsity letter to be displayed on a jacket or wherever you choose. You will receive a patch designating that you earned your school letter in service to your community and you will receive a Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Furthermore, you can highlight this recognized distinction on your resume for higher education, academic and community service scholarships. The Varsity Letter in Community Service is unique to schools in Pierce County and this will definitely set you apart from your peers!
***If you are a senior applying for this award, be sure to ask us about the Willie Stewart Community Service Scholarship. ***
What types of service do not count?
Court ordered community service; babysitting (paid or unpaid); singing in church choir; traditional, in-class time; any activity for which you receive school credit or is required for school or graduation. In other words, whatever hours are counted toward school may not be counted for this award.
Note: If you are part of a choir that performs a benefit concert you may count all hours related to that concert.
The requirements state that I have to complete at least 50 hours in a “non-school activity”. What type of volunteer work counts as a non-school activity?
- Gift shop clerk or assisted patients at a local medical facility
- Stocking and distributing food at a food bank
- Mentoring a child
- Environmental restoration work through a local non-profit
- Volunteering with a non-profit organization
These are just a few ideas, there are many ways to volunteer in your community. If you have questions about counting hours done in a non-school related activity, contact us.
The requirements state that I have to complete at least one “school activity”. What type of volunteer work counts as a school activity?
The following is a list of activities that can be done in school:
- Participating in a community service project through a school club
- Assisting a teacher before/after school or during the summer
- Volunteering with a parent organization within the school
- Volunteering as a student athletic trainer (if not required for a class)
- Assisting at sporting events, concerts, theater productions (if not required for a class)
- Tutoring peers
These are just a few ideas, there are many ways to volunteer in your school. If you have questions about counting hours done in a school related activity, contact us.
I volunteered on a mission trip through my church, how do I count these hours?
If you volunteer on a mission trip or other volunteer vacation, the hours are calculated as follows:
During the school year: 10 hours per day
During the summer: 15 hours per day
If you have documentation proving that you served more than these hours per day, you may submit it with your application and will be credited with these hours if we are able to verify them with your provided contact.
I volunteered as a camp counselor, how do I count those hours?
If you volunteer as a camp counselor, the hours are calculated as follows:
During the school year: 10 hours per day
During the summer: 15 hours per day
If you have documentation proving that you served more than these hours per day, you may submit it with your application and will be credited with these hours if we are able to verify them with your provided contact.
Can I count hours from club meetings?
If you participate in a school club, you may count any hours that are spent organizing and implementing a service project. If you are in a club that uses meeting times to discuss other club business, you may not count those hours. Only hours spent planning and participating in a service project will count as community service hours.
Who do I contact for more information?
If your college/career counselor at your high school cannot answer your questions, feel free to contact Bethany Opstedal at the United Way of Pierce County at (253) 597-6685 or bethanyo@uwpc.org.
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