A minimum of 25 hours of Christian Service is expected each year, freshman through senior year. Numerous opportunities for service are available at all times on and off campus.
What counts as Christian Service?
- Service must be something that benefits others: This is the fundamental goal of service: to help others.
- You cannot get paid or be given credit in any way for the activity.
- The organization may not benefit monetarily from your service.
- Parents are not permitted to supervise or sign off student hours.
5 Steps to get you started……
Step #1 Find a non-profit organization where you would like to volunteer. Pre-approved sites and opportunity ideas can be found 1) on the back of the BDHS Community Service Form, 2) aired on BDTV, 3) discussed in Family Homeroom, 4) on the school website under Life at Bishop,
5) visit the Dean of Students for additional opportunities.
Step #2 Community service forms are available in the front office.
Step #3 Do your service…with great love!
Step #4 Turn in your COMPLETED service form to the basket in the front office.
Step #5 Repeat above steps until you’ve reached 25 or more hours by the April 5, 2019.
Upcoming Community Service Opportunities
***Christian Service Opportunities***
Excellent volunteer opportunity this summer for incoming 10th graders and up. The United Way is seeking Counselors in Training to assist with our annual Fun in the Sun summer camp. This is a six week program that runs from June 17 – July 27. As well as earning community service hours our CIT’s will also receive college prep enrichment, special training, and participate in community building activities. Questions contact Lizza Wilding @ ewilding@unitedwaysb.org
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PeerBuddies is excited to announce that we are re-launching our Social Skills Groups, set to begin March 2019! Sessions will take place on these Sundays: 3/10, 3/17, 4/7, 4/14, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19.
Back by popular demand! Social Skills Group pairs children and teens with special needs with same-aged Peer Buddies who teach them essential social skills in a fun, supportive environment.
Here are the details:
- Goals are individualized for each individual with special needs
- Peer Buddy volunteers have the unique opportunity to be a mentor to individuals with special needs and High School Volunteers can earn community service hours!
- All strategies used are research-based, using principles of Applied Behavior Analysis
- Program Supervised by a B.C.B.A. with over 17 years' experience
- Ratio's are 2:1
- Weekly group Lessons include topics such as good sportsmanship, teamwork, perspective-taking, empathy, responding to bullies, hygiene, conversation skills, reading facial expressions, and more!
- "Themes" each week: Sports, Arts & Crafts, Cooking, Theater
- Enrollment Deadline is: FEBRUARY 24th for Participants, and MARCH 3rd for Peer Buddies
We are looking for Participants with special needs (ages 4-22) and Peer Buddy volunteers (ages 6-22).
Here is the online application for Participants: http://
Here is the online application for Peer Buddies: http://peerbuddies.
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The Alzheimer's Association of Santa Barbara County is looking for volunteers to help with their newest global signature event, The Longest Day. The Longest Day Volunteers play a vital role in helping the organization end Alzheimer’s and with their mission, a world without Alzheimer’s. On, June 21, 2019, people across the world will do what they love on the day with the most light, Summer Solstice, to come out of the darkness of Alzheimer's disease, to honor those they love with Alzheimer’s. Together, we will raise funds and awareness for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association and to help the nearly 10,000 in Santa Barbara County. Please contact Erika Van Wingerden at evanwingerden@bishopdiego.org to receive a participation handbook and/or registration form.
Please feel free to contact wcmcmullen@alz.org or 805-892-4259 ex 101 for participant and volunteer opportunities.
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United Way is looking for volunteers to help with this upcoming year’s tax season! This is a great opportunity for high school students who are trying to log volunteer hours for college applications, or maybe just want to get a head start on their professional resume. Please note, all training and certification is provided by United Way. See the attached flyer for more information, as well as a full list of available positions.
Volunteer with VITA ( Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)!
United Way of Santa Barbara County is now accepting volunteers to assist families and local residents with free tax preparation services! VITA runs from February 1st – April 15th, 2019. UWSBC will provide training and certification beginning January 2019.
Why join VITA?
Your efforts will provide much-needed financial assistance to many residents who struggle throughout the year. This past tax season, $2.3 million in tax returns went back into the community, and we hope to surpass that number in 2019!
Signing up is easy!
For a complete list of all available volunteer positions, or to register, please visit www.unitedwaysb.org/
Questions? Please contact Anna Gavin or Melinda Cabrera at mcabrera@unitedwaysb.org
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St. Raphael Little Souls Sunday School offers classes for 3, 4, 5/6 year old children during the 9:30am Sunday Masses October -May (except for holidays). We offer volunteer hours to high school students who help in the classroom during this time. If you are interested in volunteering in our program, please contact Cecilia Marks.
Santa Barbara Zoo Volunteer Opportunities
Ever wonder how volunteering at the Santa Barbara Zoo makes a difference? View https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUIMT5tsZuA
to see how our volunteers earn community service hours, gain work experience, and meet new friends all while Saving Animals From Extinction! For more details of zoo opportunities visit https://www.sbzoo.org/more/volunteer/#teens
Nonprofit Resource Network is a way to connect with your community, world organizations, break into the nonprofit world, and make your community a better place. Here’s how this resource is relevant to you: it connects people in Santa Barbara who care about making the world a better place. How does it do that? In many ways, but in your case, through the Volunteer Connect page. Through this page, organizations post their volunteer needs. Simply go to https://nprnsb.org/volunteer-connect/ to register as a volunteer.
Santa Barbara Central Library
Santa Barbara Public Library is offering volunteer trainings for our Homework Help Center on Wednesday, August 29, from 5:15-6:30 p.m., or Saturday, September 8, from 1-2:15 p.m. in the Tech Lab of the Santa Barbara Central Library, located at 40 E. Anapamu.
Volunteers are asked to work a minimum of two hours a week assisting children with reading and/or homework. Teen volunteers earn community service hours for their time, must be at least 14 years old, and maintain at least a B grade-point average. Volunteers 18 and older need to complete a background check/livescan. Those interested in volunteering can register online for the Wednesday or Saturday training, or contact Molly Wetta, Senior Librarian for Youth Services at MWetta@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or (805) 564-5642.
Homework Help is available at Central Library beginning September 5th, 2018 on Mondays from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm and Wednesdays from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Students can sign up for 20 minute sessions for assistance with math or other homework, or practice reading aloud with a volunteer.
Non-Profit Organizations in the Santa Barbara Area
Students are not limited to serving from this list only. These are merely suggestions:
- American Heart Association – 805-963-8862 or https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
- American Red Cross – 805-687-1331 or http://www.redcross.org/local/california/central-california/local-chapters/pacific-coast
- Autism Society of America – 805-560-3762 or info@asasb.org
- Assistance League of Santa Barbara – 805-898-1967 or http://www.assistanceleaguesb.com/
- Catholic Charities of Santa Barbara – 805-965-7045 or https://catholiccharitiesusa.org/get-involved
- Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara – 805-962-2382 or http://www.boysgirls.org/
- BUNS – Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter - http://www.bunssb.org/volunteer/ 805-683-0521 or buns@silcom.com
- CALM (Child Abuse Listening and Mediation) – 805-739-9102 or http://calm4kids.org/
- Carpinteria Boys and Girls Club – 805-684-4718 or carpmembership@unitedbg.org
- DAWG (Dog Adoption & Welfare Group) – 805-681-0561 or https://www.sbdawg.org/volunteer/
- Direct Relief International – 805-964-4767 or https://www.directrelief.org/
- Food Bank of Santa Barbara – 805-967-5741 or http://foodbanksbc.org/
- Girls Inc. of Santa Barbara – 805-963-4757 or http://girlsincsb.org/
- Goleta Boys and Girls Club – 805-967-5399 or https://www.bgca.org/
- Habitat for Humanity – 805-692-2226 or https://www.habitat.org/
- HEARTS Therapeutic Equestrian Center – 805-964-1519 or www.heartsriding.org/volunteer
- Jewish Federation of Santa Barbara – 805-957-1115 or https://www.jewishsantabarbara.org/
- Make-a-Wish Foundation – 805-676-94474 or info@tri-counties.wish.org
- MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) – 805-560-7651 or santabarbara@mdausa.org
- Nature Track – 805-886-2047 or http://www.naturetrack.org
- Peer Buddies – 805-620-7337 http://www.peerbuddies.com/Home.html
- Santa Barbara Safety Town – 805-252-7998 or http://www.sbsafetytown.org/
- Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital – 805-569-7357 or auxiliary@sbch.org
- Santa Barbara Dream Foundation –805-564-2131 or http://www.dreamfoundation.org/generation-dream
- Santa Barbara Family YMCA – 805-687-7727 sb.info@ciymca.org
- Santa Barbara Humane Society – 805-964-4777 or https://www.sbhumanesociety.org/give/volunteers/
- Santa Barbara Police Explorers Program – 805-897-2407 or explorers@sbpd.com
- Santa Barbara Public Library System Homework Help – 805-964-7878 or http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/lib/getinvolved/volunteer.asp
- Santa Barbara Rescue Mission – 805 966-1316 or http://www.sbrm.org/about-sbrm/volunteer
- Santa Barbara YMCA – 805-687-7727 or http://www.ymca.net/volunteer/
- Santa Barbara Zoo – 805-962-5339 or volunteer@sbzoo.org
- Special Olympics – 805-884-1516 or https://www.sosc.org/santabarbara
- St. Vincent’s Family Strengthening Program 805-722-5195 or sbrown@sv-sb.org
- Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation – 805-962-7466 or https://www.teddybearcancerfoundation.org/volunteer
- Teen Court of Santa Barbara – 805-730-7575
- Transition House – 805-966-9668 or https://transitionhouse.com/
- Unity Shoppe – 805-965-4122 or info@unityshoppe.org
- Your local parish/church /synagogue…
Total Christian service hours to be completed by the end of each school year:
- Freshmen – 25 (or more)
- Sophomores – 50 (or more)
- Juniors – 75 (or more)
- Seniors – 100 (or more)
Have questions or need help?
Have questions or need support? Please contact Dean of Students, Ms. Carr