The original deadline of May 1 for completing and reporting service hours has been changed to May 28. Students must complete their required Freshmen need 15 hours, sophomores need 20 hours, and juniors and seniors need 25 hours. 

Mrs. Shannon Fox ‘80, administrator of Christian service and community outreach, has provided several possibilities for students to complete service hours on the Hill by this new deadline. “I am going to have opportunities for kids to help count, sort and pack up the birthday and get well soon cards. (Technology coordinator) Mrs. (Gara) Schommer has projects around campus that she needs help with, and Mrs. (Jean) Smith in the advancement office needs help, too. During resource time, students can help with those opportunities,” Fox said. 

When students are not on the Hill, they can volunteer at a variety of organizations. Fox said, “Every food pantry is open and has been open. Kids can volunteer at so many places like at Saint Vincent de Paul in their warehouse, Mission 27 at their resale store and at all of the satellite food pantries. On the website, there is a community call out page where I list opportunities all the time.”

The Saint Vincent De Paul 5K fundraiser at White River State Park on April 24 had a significant impact on the community. “We had 62 kids run and raised over $1,500 for St Vincent de Paul. That opportunity provided each student with 5 hours of service, and we had the most participants out of everyone,” Fox said. 

Despite Covid-19, students are expected to complete their service hours by the deadline. “There are several kids that were banking on the thought that since Covid-19 is still around that the school would cancel service hours. The school made it very clear that they would not cancel service hours. We have made too many projects available for students on campus alone to complete all of their hours. Several kids have completed all of their hours through the card project,” Fox said. 

Students should continue to check their emails for service opportunities. Fox said, “The school website is full of information for students and parents. I post new things and I work with a lot of different people from multiple service organizations. Students can look at the website to find somewhere to volunteer. If students didn’t finish their hours, it’s because they do not read the student newsletter or any of the emails that we sent out.”