The Longest List of Community Service Ideas

Volunteer projects and community service help establish your child's sense of a real ability to contribute good to the world around him. There are countless ways that people of all ages make a difference in their communities – these are just a few.

What You Need to Know 

Benefits of community service:

• teaches your child responsibility
• demonstrates your child's capacity to make a difference in the world
• increases your child's sense of humility and appreciation for what life has given him
• can be a great bonding experience for your family

How You Can Help

Just to name a few of the countless ways that people help change the world for the better:

• Education/Counseling:
  • Help younger readers
  • Tutor an English learner
  • Peer counseling
  • Donate books to local library
  • Donate old computer to school

• Community Cleanliness:
  • Paint mural over graffiti
  • Clean vacant lot or park
  • Fund-raise for playground equipment
  • Plant garden or tree for neighborhood
  • Clean trash along river, beach or park

• Homelessness:
  • Cook/serve meals at shelter
  • Collect clothes to donate to shelter
  • Donate care kits (combs, toothbrushes, etc) to shelter
  • Organize canned food drive
  • Build homes with Habitat for Humanity

• Elderly Neighbors/Nursing Homes:
  • Visit and send letters
  • Rake leaves or shovel snow
  • Take a senior for a walk
  • Pick up groceries or medicine
  • Teach how to use the Internet

• Citizenship
  • Contact local representative about key issues
  • Register voters
  • Pass out election materials
  • Send letter to veterans or overseas soldiers
  • Bake cookies and bring them to your local fire or police station.

• Going green:
  • Organize car pool
  • Campaign for more walking/biking
  • Recycle
  • Don't litter.

• Special Needs:
  • Volunteer at Special Olympics Event
  • Organize buddy system for local special needs kids
  • Fund-raise for Braille books for visually impaired
  • Read books/newspapers on tape for visually impaired

• Medical:
  • Bring toys to hospital cancer ward
  • Deliver meals to home-bound patients
  • Volunteer as candy striper at local hospital

• Animals
  • Volunteer at local animal shelter
  • Walk a vacationing neighbor's dog or pet
  • Adopt a pet from Humane Society

• Nature
  • Adopt an acre of rain forest
  • Create wild life habitat
    Contact your local volunteer center for more service opportunities.

For more on this topic, please see the full article:

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_100_Ways_Make/