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Acts of Service and Love
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#2getherInServiceandLove
There are many ways to support the one-year mark in your school and community. Whether you are leading a service project, volunteering, fulfilling a community need, or recognizing those in your community that have made exceptional contributions, this handout provides guidance and information to get started.
SCHOOL-BASED ACTS OF SERVICE AND LOVE:
- Host a food drive: Encourage employees to donate canned food items to help combat hunger in the community. Have staff and students gather to organize food products into categories, build boxes, and prepare food collection boxes.
- Education: Organize a school supply drive for students experiencing homelessness.
- Civic chew & chat: Host a viewing of a civic film (a civic film that can raise social awareness about a topic aside from school or gun violence) that can raise social awareness and encourage dialogue on ways to address the issue. Consider inviting families and nonprofit partners to participate.
- Join an online dialogue: Join participants across the country in an online dialogue on a current topic of interest or concern. Share experiences, perspectives and insights, generating a national dialogue.
- Organize a book drive: Identify a school or classroom that needs books and encourage student and employees to bring in age-appropriate or grade level books.
- Research a local landmark, such as a historical site or community park: After researching the history of the site, encourage students to brainstorm ways your class could improve the landmark for visitors while maintaining its historical integrity.
- Make measurement practice meaningful: Have students use their mathematical and measurement skills to put together dry cookie recipe mixes in donated jars. Gift the jars to local workers who make a difference in your community, such as nurses, firefighters, or police officers.
- Beautify your school: Encourage students to study the origins and key players of an artistic movement, such as mural painting, and then have kids to create their own works of art inspired by the movement.
- Take your recycling program to the next level: Ask students to create video or audio podcasts discussing the importance of recycling and waste reduction. Post the podcasts on your school website for the wider community to learn more.
- Start a gardening project: Have your students take the lead on planning and researching the garden and then presenting the information to the younger kids.
- Three cheers for local heroes: Have students show first responders and emergency volunteers gratitude by creating hand-made thank you cards for firefighters, police officers, Red Cross emergency personnel, and others in your community or somewhere a disaster or emergency has occurred.
COMMUNITY-BASED ACTS OF SERVICE AND LOVE:
- Feeding the community: Encourage employees to donate canned food items to help combat hunger in the community. Have staff and students gather to organize food products into categories, build boxes, and prepare food collection boxes.
- Student-athletes: Participate in community service through a variety of projects. Collecting food for the local food pantry and clothing for the needy; assisting senior citizens at a local assisted living facility; raising money through a Walk-a-Thon to provide financing for transportation and home visits for the elderly; assisting special-needs students in the Unified Sports Day and offering clinics for special-needs athletes; and participating in the Make-a-Wish program for young patients.
- Turning passion into meaningful service: Turn your talent and passion for anything into meaningful service for your community. Make use of friends, coworkers, and other networks to find others with similar interests to join you in service. Reach out to community leaders, program directors, teachers, and anyone else who might host you in providing this service. Be creative and thoughtful. Brainstorm ideas, and try them out. You are sure to find a means to blend your passion with ways to help your community.
- Start a charity music group: If you have performing experience, try using it for charity or in another volunteer capacity. Play free concerts at hospitals, senior homes, local schools, or other community centers and program. You could also offer to play accompaniment for local plays.
- Poverty: Organize a drive to donate blankets, socks, gloves, etc. to keep the homeless in your community warm during the winter months.
- Animals: Local animal shelters are always in need of volunteers even for simple tasks such as cleaning cages, answering phones, or making holiday decorations for the shelter waiting room.
- Sweet cases: Decorate duffel bags for foster children complete with a teddy bear, hygiene kit, and blanket.
- Host a toy drive: Encourage employees to donate and collect toys to share with less fortunate children in your community.
- Community/Diversity: Learn about the history of the community where you live. Identify cultural, religious or other diverse groups in your community. Discuss how you can learn about their culture and help promote awareness and respect.
- Youth: Organize a toy drive to provide children in the community with toys and games.
- Ocean conservancy: Recruit friends and family to join you in an ocean cleanup. Explain to them that no matter where they live—whether on the coast or miles inland—all waterways lead to the ocean. Nevertheless, taking action and working together, you can improve the ocean’s health and make trash free seas a reality.
Activities adapted from National & Community Service and We are Teachers resources
- Host a food drive: Encourage employees to donate canned food items to help combat hunger in the community. Have staff and students gather to organize food products into categories, build boxes, and prepare food collection boxes.