Throughout the four years of high school, each student at Horizon Honors is urged to achieve up to 160 community service hours. This means about 40 hours each year. Students often stress about completing these hours, and struggle finding ways to do so.

A great way to start working on getting those hours is joining Key Club at the beginning of the year. Although there is a $40 fee, the club offers many volunteer opportunities throughout the year. There are also a variety of common organizations students volunteer for, such as Feed My Starving Children. Some students, however, might continue to seek out service opportunities elsewhere.

College Vine lists a variety of other ways to earn these hours that would be of interest to students. Volunteering at schools, animal shelters, food banks, churches, and nonprofit organizations are great ways to get hours throughout the year. As for community service hours at school, it could be great for students to go in and tutor younger students. Spending some time at an animal shelter gets a student hours, while animals get needed attention. There are many animal shelters that offer volunteer opportunities, such as the Animal Humane Society.

Although not everyone is religious, for the individuals that are, places of worship are great places to get involved. There are numerous opportunities with different people, jobs, and atmospheres, and it is a great way to take leadership in a wonderful environment. A single mission trip is sure to get a student more than enough hours for the year. Nonprofit organizations, like food banks, are perfect for service hours as well. There are countless volunteer opportunities, all needing different skills and people. These are all plausible ways to get involved in the community, and oftentimes even get work experience.

Getting in 160 hours of community service may seem overwhelming, but in the end, it doesn’t have to become a source of stress. It is simple to find something that interests you, and then find volunteer opportunities accordingly.