Winter Volunteer Opportunities for Students
As the fall semester comes to a close and final deadlines begin to near, Valencia High School students may be scrambling to find volunteer opportunities to meet their required hours for various school clubs. This holiday season, several organizations have presented an array of opportunities for volunteers to help better the community while also helping students meet their hourly requirements.
Valencia High School’s very own club, VIP Vikings, holds monthly meetings for Special Education students and general education alike to meet new friends, have fun, and make memories. These fun, on-campus events typically earn students one hour of service for attending and helping throughout the duration of the event. For the month of December, a Christmas party sanctioned by this club will be held after Winter Break in the ASB room which will serve as a fun experience and great volunteer opportunity.
The City of Santa Clarita Volunteer Organization allows members of the community to volunteer in several events every month and the holiday season brings an abundance of chances to serve the community. The first opportunity will be held at the Newhall Community Center where there is a Reindeer Candy Cane Crafting event hosted by the city. Students can volunteer or participate at this festive event on December 13 from 5-6 PM. Another opportunity the city is offering is the Holiday Light Tour being held from December 15-17. Passing out treats, helping with line control, and bringing holiday spirit to the event attendees, are just a few of the tasks volunteers will take on with this event.
Well-known organization Toys for Tots, run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, collects toy donations for the Christmas season to give hope to children and families in need. To donate, all volunteers have to do is find their local donation center typically held in a local business and drop off new, unwrapped toys around or above the ten-dollar price range. Just across the street from our very own Valencia High School, is the city’s ice skating rink, The Cube, where they hold a Toys for Tots donation location available from 7 AM to 8 PM. Toys for Tots also accepts donations online which can be found on their website.
Instead of volunteering throughout the community in order to simply earn hours, it is important to find the joy that comes with volunteering without academic benefit. Going caroling, passing out kind notes and candy canes to strangers, baking Christmas cookies and passing them out to neighbors, or offering to babysit neighbor’s kids. All of these random acts of kindness can make someone's day which is the most important part of volunteering for the community.
While volunteering for various organizations and local community events is a great way to earn service hours for school clubs and college, the true importance of volunteering is about giving support to your community and helping those in need. By volunteering you are given the chance to make a difference, no matter how small, which is what truly matters this holiday season.
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