Community service hours are not a requirement to graduate high school but can be very helpful to students in discovering careers of interest, demonstrating leadership skills for resumes and scholarships, and most importantly, giving back to their community.
Community service or paid work hours are required for all Bright Futures Scholarship Awards. Students are allowed to combine paid work hours and community service hours to count towards the requirement for the Bright Futures Scholarship. Students may begin logging community service/work hours the summer before freshman year. Students should make sure to read the steps for volunteering below before they start working on their community service.
Steps for Students to Complete Prior to Volunteering
- Determine an area/topic in the community where you would like to make an impact.
- Research the types of volunteer activities available in your community. The district community service website lists local opportunities and community service guidelines for St. Johns County School District: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/guidance/community-service/
- If the student is unsure whether the service activity meets St. Johns County School District requirements, the student should check with Ms. Richards in the main Guidance office.
- Contact the organization you are interested in volunteering with and determine 1) the steps to become a volunteer, 2) if they have volunteer openings for the dates/activities you are interested in, 3) who the contact will be to verify your hours and participation in the activity. Note: Supervisor must be non-family member with organization who directly supervises the student during the activity outside of the home.
Steps for Students to Complete During Volunteering
- Keep track of hours, dates, & activities completed during service to verify with whoever supervises you during your community service.
Steps and Documentation for Students to Complete After Volunteering
- Students submitting hours from a school related volunteer activity or from a non-profit organization outside of the school, must submit a letter on letterhead from the organization that they completed the volunteer hours describing the type of service performed, who in the community the service benefited, and a description of the service event. Student and parent/guardian should sign this letter, and the student turns in the letterhead and the Volunteer Service Plan-Reflection Log to Ms. Richards in the main Guidance office.
- For paid work, student will need to submit a copy of their pay stub (only up to 100 hours) to Ms. Richards in the main Guidance office.
- Make copies of all completed forms for your records.
- Please allow 1 week for hours to be updated. Students may check their hours by logging in to HAC and clicking on the registration tab.
Need ideas for earning Community Service Hours?
Check out the links below!
Volunteer Florida – Find Volunteer Opportunities in your area!
Care Connect Volunteers – Click on “Attention Student! Find volunteer opportunities for teenagers”
Care Connect Food Delivery Volunteers
Jacksonville Symphony Volunteers
Small Lives Matter Kitten Rescue – Volunteering must happen at the shelter
Hugs Across the County – Sign up to volunteer here. Opportunities include sorting clothes donations, food, and more. Email [email protected] or call 904-580-4847 with questions.
Virtual Service Hours Opportunities
From the district office….”Donations and the donation form that was used in the 20-21 school year will no longer be accepted for service hours. This was a temporary provision when no in-person volunteer opportunities were available for students.”