Community Service

In order to graduate from Santa Clara High School, students must fulfill the community service requirement for the Santa Clara Unified School District and must complete at least 20 hours of community service. To receive credit for these hours, you must turn in a Confirmation of Hours Form and a one page written Reflection for each activity you complete.  Listed below are the requirements for completing community service hours.  

 

Requirements:

• Community service hours must be completed at a non-profit organization   (i.e., tutoring at a school, volunteering at: a hospital, charity, non-profit, fundraising festival, animal shelter, etc.)

• Students may volunteer at a single organization or at multiple sites

• Students are highly encouraged to complete hours in field(s) of possible career(s) or in areas of personal interest(s).

• Paid experiences do not qualify

• Working without pay at your job or family business does not qualify

• Students must complete a Confirmation of Hours form and write up a 1 page reflection on experience.  Supervisor signature required.  Forms located in Counseling Office.

Community service opportunities are routinely posted on the bulletin board in the Counseling Office Lobby  and are also emailed through School Loop.  Do NOT wait until last minute!!!   If students have additional questions regarding the Community Service requirement, please see his/her counselor.

 

Community Service Forms are located in the lobby of the Counseling Office or here.

*** In-Person Community Service Opportunities at Various Local Organizations Below: ***

Community service opportunities are also routinely posted on the Community Service Bulletin board in the Counseling Office Lobby and sent through School Loop email to students.  Additionally, included below are community service organizations many students volunteer at:

• Reading Partners, Silicon Valley
• City of Santa Clara Volunteer Opportunities
• Santa Clara County Government Volunteer Opportunities   
• Bay Area Volunteer Opportunities   
• Angels On Stage

 

• SCIENCE CAMP- Walden West and Camp Campbell.  Please read separate Science Camp information below for more information on the program and how to apply and be accepted.

 

• SANTA CLARA HIGH SCHOOL- Academic Peer Tutor- Upon acceptance, tutor students who need support in their AP courses and receive community service hours for your time.  See your counselor for details and an application!

 

• CATHOLIC CHARITIES FRIENDLY VISITOR PROGRAM (408) 325-5143 Visit senior citizens in their homes or in elder care facilities. Visit weekly for 1-2 hours. Long-term commitment necessary, orientation provided.

 

• CITY OF SANTA CLARA  Variety of community volunteer opportunities. City of Santa Clara website lists over 50 community organizations who serve the general public needing community volunteers.

 

• CITY TEAM MINISTRIES Cityteam International - info@cityteam.org (408) 232-5600 2306 Zanker Rd, San Jose, CA 95131 Rescue Mission for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. Help in the kitchen to prepare and serve meals. All student volunteers must be accompanied by an adult

 

• IDYLWOOD CARE CENTER Contact:  (408) 739-2383 idylwood4@yahoo.com Sunnyvale Nursing Care for the elderly.

 

• INNVISION Contact: Lourdes Pollard, Food Services Director LPollard@innvision.org 546 Julian St San Jose Volunteers needed on Saturday and Sunday to help cook prep meals, clean and organize . Help needed in kitchen on weekdays 10 am -4 pm.

 

• MARTHA'S KITCHEN (408) 293-6111 311 Willow Street San Jose Soup Kitchen (Tues and Wed 3:30 - 6:30) age limit - must be 16 years old

 

• PALM VILLA ALZHEIMER'S RESIDENCE Contact: (408) 559-8301 3333 So. Bascom Ave Campbell All elderly residents have some form of Alzheimer’s or dementia

 

• OUR DAILY BREAD Contact: (408) 736-4108 231 South Sunset Ave Sunnyvale Soup kitchen, open Mon., Wed., Fri. for lunch. (good when we have a school holiday)

 

• PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT- SAN JOSE  Contact: (408) 975-4441 to speak with the Project Homeless Connect Volunteer Coordinator. Donate/distribute food and hygiene items

 

• SACRED HEART COMMUNITY SERVICES Variety of services to low income primarily Hispanic clientele in San Jose - After School program & Summer day school camp - opportunities to work with customers in food pantry and clothes closet. Contact: (408) 278-2160 To volunteer: Fill out a volunteer application on their website: http://sacredheartcs.org/volunteer/individual/

 

• SACRED HEART NATIVITY SCHOOL Sacred Heart Nativity School is looking for student volunteers to tutor 6th - 8th grade students and to play with them during activity time. Please contact the school for days and times of opportunities. They welcome drop-in after-school tutors. Contact: (408) 993-1293

 

• SAN JOSE FAMILY SHELTER After school tutoring Contact:  (408) 926-8885

 

• SANTA CLARA METHODIST CHURCH  Two programs: Family Storytime.  A program to prepare children ages 2-5 for kindergarten, including stories, basic alphabet and counting, recreation, and snack time.  Homeless Outreach.  We collect food and clothing and provide it to homeless and needy individuals in the local community.  We need help to organize, package and distribute these supplies.  Contact: Lisa Hatchett, 

  (925) 216-5020

 

• SUNDAY FRIENDS IN SAN JOSE Help homeless children and children from low-income families with art projects on Sunday afternoons. Meets on second and fourth Sunday afternoon each month. Fill out online volunteer application on website: https://www.sundayfriends.org/volunteers/index.html

 

• SUNNYVALE COMMUNITY SERVICES (408) 738-4321 Sunnyvale Care of needs of low-income people in Sunnyvale area - Christmas gift program.

 

• WILDLIFE CENTER OF SILICON VALLEY Help provide exceptional care, rehabilitation and the opportunity for release for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife!  Animal care team volunteers work directly with a variety of native species.  Duties include feeding animals, cleaning cages and enclosures, administering medications and more!  Apply at:  WCVSV.ORG/volunteer

 

• Reading Partners, Silicon Valley
• City of Santa Clara Volunteer Opportunities
• Santa Clara County Government Volunteer Opportunities   
• Bay Area Volunteer Opportunities   
• Angels On Stage

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*** Online Community Service Opportunities ***

• Volunteercrowd.com- Virtual volunteer opportunities for students.  Thousands of virtual opportunities from 20 types of cause such as: Elderly, Disaster Relief, Education, Mental Health, Special Needs, etc.  Examples of opportunities include:  Web development for animal adoption shelters, Online Literacy Volunteer, Virtual After School Tutor, etc.  Once registered with volunteercrowd.com, you will periodically receive emails with opportunities!

 

•  Volunteermatch.com; connecting volunteers with non-profit organizations; virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities in a variety of local cities.  Wide range of opportunities  can be sorted by “causes,” such as “Environment”, “Homelessness”, “Advocacy and Human Rights”, “Animals”. Many opportunities from 29 different causes!  Examples of included organizations for virtual opportunities include; Red Cross, Arthritis Foundation, Sponsor Humanity and more!

 

• United Nations Volunteers:  The United Nations Volunteers program offers countless of online volunteering opportunities across the world. Like the rest of the UN’s efforts, this program strives to boost sustainable human development.

   

• Adopt the Grandparent - virtual, pairing young people with an elderly companion at CHD Living, highlighting the importance of cherishing inter-generational relationships. This campaign is designed to bring a sense of comfort to young people and the elderly who may not have grandparents/grandchildren of their own, with the aim to create invaluable, lifelong friendships. CHD Living

 

• Catchafire- If you want to use your skills for good, Catchafire helps you connect with non-profits in need of your expertise and to contribute to meaningful projects and initiatives.  ***Some volunteer opportunities are for ages 18+*** 

 

• Write letters to the troops, veterans, policemen, firemen, etc. to A Million Thanks or Operation Gratitude.

 

•    ​​​ I See Me! Write an e-letter directly on their site to kids battling illness and I See Me delivers        thousands of letters to children with pediatric cancer or another life-threatening illness who      are supported by the Shining Stars Foundation. 

 

• Write letters to hospitalized children at children hospitals through Cards for Hospitalized Kids or Cardz For Kids. 

 

• Helping Ninjas asks youth to write letters to seniors in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are asking youth to write notes, create cards and color pictures and mail them to local nursing homes as part of their Make a Senior Smile campaign. Once the artwork or card is created, post and tag Helping Ninjas via social media or you can email it to them to mail directly to the senior citizen. 

 

• The Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers — more than a million people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers.

 

• Adopt the Grandparent - virtual pairing young people with an elderly companion at CHD Living, highlighting the importance of cherishing intergenerational relationships. This campaign is designed to bring a sense of comfort to young people and the elderly who may not have grandparents/grandchildren of their own, with the aim to create invaluable, lifelong friendships. CHD Living

Science Camp- Walden West & Camp Campbell

Science Camp is a great opportunity to mentor elementary students, grades 5-6, as they spend a week learning outdoors.  There are two main camps, Walden West and Camp Campbell, in which responsible youth can volunteer as Cabin Leaders. 

 

SCHS students must be in good academic standing and obtain permission from teachers ahead of time to miss up to a week of school.  Students will need to make arrangements with teachers ahead of time regarding making up missed work while participating in Science Camp. 

 

Once you have secured a date with the science camp, come see Counselor, Mrs. Weeks.  She will need to give you SCHS paperwork to have your absences excused, or you may obtain a "Prelminary Absence Request" here.  Failure to attend science camp without SCHS approval will result in unexcused absences.

 

Walden West

 

Each school week, Walden West hosts responsible volunteers, grades 11 and 12.  Volunteer Cabin Leaders act as positive role models working alongside Walden West staff guiding 5^th/6^thgrade campers. Cabin Leaders stay in cabins with 14-18 students and utilize the skills they learn while at Walden West to ensure each young camper has a great experience throughout their week of residential outdoor school.

Cabin Leaders join a week of fun and personal growth as they develop/enhance their leadership skills. In field class they enrich their current knowledge in subject areas related to: Biology, Environmental Science, Physics/Engineering, Sustainable Living, and Physical Education.

Throughout the week they develop their interpersonal skills further preparing them for career/college by working on: problem solving, critical thinking, personal maturity, leadership, mentoring and gaining a sense of community.

 

Walden West: Walden West supports high school student’s by providing up 100 hours of service learning credit earned as cabin leaders while enriching their current knowledge in our field classes. Training and support is provided throughout the week.

 

Volunteer at Walden West

 

Camp Campbell- YMCA

 

The YMCA is a cause for strengthening communities, committed to every day to youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. When you volunteer at YMCA Campbell, you take an active role in bringing about meaningful, enduring change in children, families and adults.

 

Our volunteer opportunities include:

• Cabin leaders
  • Fostering healthy relationships is key to our camp experience.
  • Volunteer cabin leaders help make this happen by engaging and mentoring children and teens at camp.
• Garden workers
  • We believe it’s important to sustain our natural environment.
  • Volunteer garden workers roll up their sleeves and help us keep our campgrounds beautiful by planting flowers, shrubs, herbs, and vegetables.
• Campaign
  • Every day, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of income or background, has the opportunity to experience the wonders of an outdoor summer camp adventure.
  • Campaigners help us raise money for our camp scholarship fund to ensure that no child, family or adult is turned away.
• Alumni Events
  • Our alumni network of past campers and staff are vital members of our camp community.
  • Alumni event volunteers help plan alumni events.

• And many more
  • Have an idea for a volunteer project? Share it with us – we welcome your input.

Make a difference. Volunteer today.  
Volunteer at Camp Campbell