x2VOL Blog: Tracking Service Hours at your School

You got into your dream university, but now you have to figure out how to pay for it! Remember those community service hours you did in high school? They could be the key. There are many scholarships, awards, and grants for students to help offset and cover the cost of school. Many of these, provide awards based on your service experience. 

It's National Catholic Schools Week! This week we are celebrating all of the Catholic schools and Catholic school leaders that are educating students across the country.

One of the pillars of many Catholic schools are Corporal Works Mercy. Corporal Works of Mercy are deeds and acts by which people spread the love and compassion of God unto other people.

Every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also known as a National Day of Service, individuals across the country get out and serve their communities.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an iconic American leader that championed the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. He is remembered for his dedication and profound sacrifice in changing not only the United States, but the world. 

Because of his selfless dedication leading the Civil Rights Movements, Americans remember and honor him every year by serving in their communities. 

Like many of those around the country, the team at x2VOL will be serving the community as well to honor and to give thanks for all that Martin Luther King Jr. did to advance our country.

In the past on this day, the x2VOL Team has served at Goodwill, a local community garden, and more. This year the team will be serving at Feed My Starving Children, an organization that packs nutrient dense meals for children in impoverished countries. The x2VOL team serves on this day and throughout the year to connect with the community and to continue to grow as individuals.  

How are you serving on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? After you're done serving or after your students have completed service on this day, ensure they are logging their hours in x2VOL and writing reflections in x2VOL on how the service experience impacted them. 

Missing an efficient way to track student service at your school? Let us become your partner in service this year. Check out our demo and engage your students in meaningful service this school year. 

Are you looking for a community service opportunity that is a little bit more out of the box? Check out this list of community service ideas you can participate in to benefit others this fall and winter during the holidays.

There are so many needs in the community and so many different ways that you can benefit other people as we go into the holiday season.

When students participate in community service it expands their world-view and opens them up to ideas and opportunities they might not have experienced otherwise. They learn about the importance of helping others and have a chance to discover an area of focus for a potential future career.

It's so easy to get caught up in admin work and managing day-to-day activities that sometimes. spending time engaging with students can fall to the wayside. 

Talking with your students, seeing how they are doing, encouraging them in school and in service, are huge elements of a student's education. It can be easy to give students a community service requirement, but that process should be more than just checking a box. Students need to be engaged in community service - and that's where you come in. 

She might be a world famous pop star and actress. She has a partnership with Coach and the most followers on Instagram, clocking in at 142 million. 

But, more important that those titles, Selena Gomez is a dedicated servant to her community and advocate for victims of human trafficking through an organization called A21, whose mission is to eradicate human trafficking through awareness, intervention, and aftercare.  Selena has been serving as a volunteer every week at A21 since March of 2018. 

Every year on September 11, individuals across the country step away from their normal day-to-day activities to volunteer in their communities on National Day of Service and Remembrance.

This day is an important one - it gives Americans the chance the remember those men and women that lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 attacks and honor those brave individuals that served in response to the attacks the day of and in the days, weeks, and years following. 

School is back in action! You might be more or less excited about getting back into the school grind, but there are some things you can do to set yourself up for success as you start this new semester:

• Shop for your favorite school supplies: Who doesn’t like to parade down the aisles of pens, notebooks, and binders! Treat yourself to your favorite school supplies to get you excited about taking class notes and getting your homework done.
• Memorize your class schedule: Don’t get stuck in between classes not knowing where you are going to next! Memorization is key.

School is back!

Classes are in session, students are memorizing their schedule and admins are getting organized for the year ahead of them. Which means, it’s the perfect time to set up your x2VOL account for success. There are a couple things you can do to ensure you are ready to start off the new school year on the right foot so your students can start logging hours: