Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
The Fairfax County Public Schools system agrees. Students in high school are incentivized to complete service hours, and the lessons learned can last a lifetime. FCPS students who complete 40 or more service hours while in high school earn a Service Learning Cord, which they can wear at graduation.
“In FCPS, students in all grade levels are introduced and encouraged to participate in service learning,” says Steven Myers, academic and career planning educational specialist in the FCPS Office of Counseling and College and Career Readiness. “Our students demonstrate their creativity and innovation in the many ways they participate in service learning within their local community and beyond.”
Positive Impact of Volunteering
Parents in Northern Virginia have seen positive results from involvement in volunteer opportunities.
“Community service has been great for my girls to creatively and in fun ways get to know their community and give back,” says Chantilly resident Rohini Ganjoo. “As a mother of two teen girls, I am looking for ways in which to engage them in the community.”
Loudoun County Public Schools do not have a community service requirement, but students are encouraged to actively engage in volunteering.
Ganjoo’s oldest daughter, Anjika, 18, completed her service hours by setting up a Girls in STEM Club at Lightridge High School in Aldie, as well as volunteering with her local temple and for band events. A 2024 high school graduate, Anjika is now in her freshman year at Georgia Tech.
“As a woman pursuing engineering, I sought out opportunities to impact my community by bringing STEM events, activities, and exposure to young girls in my community,” says Anjika. “I believe so strongly in the value of bridging the gender divide in STEM and I chose to do my part to get us one small step closer to that goal.”
5 Areas That Need Volunteers
What are some ideas for how your students can take part in helpful volunteer service efforts? Service should be thoughtful and well-planned, meet a community need, reflect the curriculum, be impactful, and be applicable.
FCPS offers a listing of suggested opportunities in the county and consolidates resources in one spot. The Fairfax County Volunteer Opportunities website arranges volunteer jobs by organization, age, subject, date, and time or location.
A few kid-friendly volunteer jobs of note:
- Food and Nutrition: Help feed economically disadvantaged families by working with a variety of community food outreaches or be a docent at Frying Pan Farm Park’s farmhouse.
- Training, Teaching, and Mentoring: Give support and encouragement to swimmers with disabilities training to compete in swimming competitions at several different aquatics facilities throughout the region.
- Libraries and Education: Become a youth volunteer at area libraries or a member of a library teen advisory board.
- Culture, History, Music, and Performing Arts: Volunteer to help with upcoming arts and crafts festivals, antique shows, and at historic site work days. There are many options available.
- Environment, Parks, Recreation, and Sports: Volunteer with park habitat restoration, general cleanup, events, refereeing for soccer, and at Burke Lake Park Ghost Town.
Volunteer Fairfax also offers a number of opportunities for students and their families to serve. Virtual and remote volunteer opportunities are available, with options like creating homemade fleece blankets or holiday cards for the developmentally disabled. Or, gather with like-minded volunteers to assemble Thanksgiving food baskets, distribute food at neighborhood outreach events, and walk in a parade to promote volunteerism.
In the end, your student will have completed valuable community service hours and learned invaluable life skills.
“Encouraging students to try out volunteering at least a few times opens them to opportunities and causes that they may never have considered,” says Anjika Ganjoo. “Volunteering is an incredible way to connect with your community.”
Feature image of Anjika Ganjoo, courtesy Rohini Ganjoo
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