Get those
Summer
Volunteer Hours !
By Jeanne Coates
h Aim to complete 25 hours of community service each year of high school to have the 100 hours needed for the Bright Futures Academic Scholarship . Students can begin accruing Bright Futures Community Service hours the summer before 9th grade begins .
h Service hours for Bright Futures will count starting the summer before enrolling in high school . Any hours completed before that time will not count towards the Bright Futures Scholarship .
h Community service hours are not a requirement to graduate high school but can be helpful to students in discovering careers of interest , demonstrating leadership skills for resumes and scholarships and , most importantly , giving back to their community .
h Community service projects should benefit the entire community . This means that community service for events such as dances , carnivals , festivals , summer programs , etc ., must be open to everyone , including those outside of a neighborhood or organization , and not require payment to participate in the event .
h Verify that the organization you are planning to volunteer for is a non-profit organization by checking SunBiz . * Note : An organization being non-profit does not automatically guarantee service hours will be granted . Service completed for a non-profit organization must be done under the supervision of a staff member of the nonprofit who is not related to the student and at a service location outside of the student ’ s home . For example , fostering animals , hosting a foreign exchange student or turning in supplies , canned goods , etc ., to claim hours are not eligible activities .
h Turn in your hours per the guidelines listed above as soon as you complete the hours rather than saving them all until the end of high school to submit .
20 | FLAGLER PARENT M A G A Z I N E