CHCA HS Students bake 4,872 cookies for local prisoners

Graduation requirement at CHCA include 120 hours of community service. A community service contract must be completed for each project. This contract must be documented and verified by the agency where the service is performed. All documented and verified contracts must be submitted each school year to the High School Outreach Office by April 15th for seniors and June 1st for underclassmen. Any hours submitted after the current school year must be approved by the Outreach Office before submitting for credit.

Why have community service as a requirement? We believe the spirit of service at CHCA ought to reflect our commitment to follow Christ. In Christ’s teachings and examples, we see that he placed special emphasis upon serving those less fortunate, i.e. the poor, widows, children, etc. We also believe students and society benefit greatly from direct involvement with people versus task-oriented jobs.

What counts? “Community service” may be defined as unpaid work performed to benefit the community – whether emotional, material, or spiritual. Community service is to be completed through a non-profit agency or event, or to a person in the community who would be considered disadvantaged.

What does NOT count: Service completed for profit-making businesses/services, individuals who can afford to pay for services rendered, and for family members (including family owned businesses) are not considered community service.

Requirements:

1. Students are to donate 50% or more of their community service hours in direct service to disadvantaged people groups. These hours will be recorded as “needy” service hours. Disadvantaged people groups may be defined as the poor, elderly, handicapped, widows, orphans, and strangers (homeless). Direct service involves students engaging with people. Preparation for service is essential, but is not included within the 60 “needy” hours (50% of the 120 total hours) of the service requirement.
    
2. Inclusive to the 120 hours of community service hours, students are to complete two mission projects, one of which must be a CHCA High School Mission Project. Students are to complete one mission project by the end of their sophomore year and a second mission project by the end of the first semester of their senior year (1 mission for 2 years enrolled; 2 missions for 3 & 4 years enrolled). Non-CHCA Missions must be pre-approved by the Outreach Office.
    
3. Mission hours counted are those in which the student is engaged in direct service/ministry. Hours not counted in the 120 hour requirement are: training, travel, sleeping, eating, social time and recreation.
    
4. Students lacking 30 hours of service for each academic year (and at least 1 mission trip by end of sophomore year) will not be eligible for extracurricular activities until hours are completed and documented in the Outreach Office.
    
5. Hours are to be completed outside of normal school hours.

• Questions? Contact High School Outreach Coordinator Karen Hordinski
• Ready to serve? Get started with uGive.org
• Need to turn in forms? Give them to High School Outreach Assistant Kourtney Klendworth. (Ms. Klendworth receives and verifies forms, and keeps students records.)