Community Service for School, a division of Reachout America, has created a unique way to help middle school, high school, and college students earn community service learning hours while giving back to the community through our national non-profit organization. Upon completion of service learning hours, we encourage participants to download and complete our reflection page. Reflection is a process which allows one to record their thoughts and feelings about their experiences with community service. Through reflection, the experience of serving others may become a deeper part of one’s life, values, and beliefs. Not only does reflection pertain to one’s personal experiences, it also helps individuals understand how community service works.

Fundraising & Reflection for Student Community Service

There are countless ways to get started and raise funds… you are limited only by your imagination. Here are a few ideas that have worked for other students. Upon completion of a student’s Community Service Learning Hours, we encourage the student to download and complete our reflections page. We believe that reflection is the key to learning from any experience in life. Taking the time to think about what one has been through helps the individual to assess (or re-assess) his/her values and life goals. Through reflection, the Service Learning experience becomes an integral part of the students life. Like a seed that is planted today and will blossom over time, the community service that is completed today directly and profoundly touches and impacts the life of another (a child in need) over time. Reflecting on that experience helps to ensure the participating student is aware of how his/her choices influence others in life.

With more and more schools requiring Service Learning and Community Service Hours for graduation, the opportunities to fulfill your hours locally are diminishing. The local non-profit organizations are great if you can fit your hours into their schedule. Reachout America is now offering you an alternative. Reachout America’s Service-Learning is a unique, wonderful, educational and enlightening opportunity not only for individual students to engage actively in and contribute directly to their particular community while earning academic credit/hours toward their graduation requirements, but also for the general public to interact with and participate in the teaching of youth in their neighborhoods.

It is a cool concoction of both teaching and learning. It offers community members the chance to take part in the active education of its youth, and it offers the participants seeking the experience of service-learning the chance to identify, address and do something worthwhile about real needs in their own communities. As a fun, hands-on approach to education, service-learning allows students to go out into the real world and embark on a plan of action that will directly improve, enhance and uplift the lives of others, specifically sending special kids to camp.

Who is Reachout America ?

We are a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Mableton, GA. Our sole purpose for existing is to facilitate sending sick and handicapped children to special needs camps across America. We accomplish this through the donations we receive from caring and concerned people across America. Many of the children we send to camp wouldn’t have been able to go if not for the kindness and generosity of people like you. Visit Reachout America to learn more about how we help local communities.

It is simple. One very rewarding way to earn your service learning hours is from your efforts to raise funds (through various community-based events) to donate to Reachout America in order to send a special child to camp. In turn, we will award you community service (learning service) hours for your donations. We want to make this as easy as possible for you and for us. Our formula is simple. For every $10 donated toward sending a kid to camp, we will award you 1 learning service hour. Now you’re asking, “How can I raise that much money?” Again, we want to make it easy for you. Visit our Getting Started page for some easy and fun ways to raise money.

Example 1: Organize a cell phone recycling campaign in your neighborhood or at your work. Our recycling center pays between $1 – $60 per phone and also pays the shipping cost. If you collect 30-50 useless cell phones that would otherwise go to the landfill, we will then award you accordingly for your efforts to help the environment and your community.

Example 2: You have a car wash that earns you $240.00 and you donate that money to Reachout America, we will award you with 24 hours of community service work. And the exciting thing is your hard work is now helping special kids in your area. Always check with your school liaison or school before you begin your community service to ensure it is acceptable.