At Mater Dei, students are required to complete a certain number of service hours prior to graduation. Some students begin to worry about the 80 mandatory hours needed by the end of their high school years. From freshmen looking for new service opportunities to seniors in need of their final hours, confusion and stress may linger as students search for the right opportunities. To get ahead, there are many accessible and fun activities one can participate in during the summer to get hours. Mater Dei’s Director of Christian Service and Outreach, Maurissa Talarico ‘93, was able to share some thoughts on doing acts of service during the summer.

“The reality is summer service opportunities typically provide more hours only because you can go all day,” Talarico said. “In the summer you have freedom, so it’s more of a timing thing than an opportunity thing.” 

Finding ways to help one’s community can be easier than most think. Asking around and researching are two methods that senior Ava Gomez recommends to students who are starting out.

“I think the easiest thing to do first is [to] do a Google search. You’ll be surprised how many [opportunities] there are in your community,” Gomez said. “Also turn to your friends and family. I brought three Mater Dei students, that had never heard about it before, into my charity.”

There are many service opportunities out there. Some students will even be able to find something that aligns with their career interests. Gomez feels that this is something students should be aware of as it can provide useful training for future jobs and is a great resume builder.

“There are a lot of service hour opportunities that are career specific,” Gomez said. “So if you’re interested in a certain career, like nursing, there’s always service hour opportunities you could find [associated with that].”

Students should also focus on finding service opportunities that allow for their talents to come into play. Whether a student is an athlete, musician, or artist, there is always an opportunity for them to utilize their talents in order to help others. Talarico, elaborates on the idea of seeking talent based opportunities.

“If you play a sport, think about how you could maybe use that talent to support the underprivileged in the community that wouldn’t [usually] have access to your sport. If you sing, please go [to sing] Christmas carols at a senior center so that some of our elderly who don’t get out and can’t go to a concert have a concert brought to them,” Talarico said. “So think about your talents. God gave you your talents for a reason. Find a way to use them and make the world better.”

Career-based and talent aligning service opportunities should not be the only thing students focus on when deciding their path in Christian services. They should also focus on something they love and enjoy doing. Freshman Grant Foster shares his recommendation when it comes to finding the perfect Christian service opportunity.

“I would recommend [students] find something that they love to do, and it’s about what you have in your heart during the service hours and not just being nice,” Foster said.

Sometimes the right opportunity or job is not one that is necessarily advertised. If you see a need in your community, look towards the leaders or people that work for the city and suggest a way you would like to help or better the community. Whether it is picking up trash on a beach or offering to clean up or help fund a public park, you may be able to create your own opportunity. 

“Think about your own life. Think about your own resources, and look around. What in the world would you like to see better?” Talarico said. “And then ask yourself, ‘How can I make it better?’ Then it’ll probably count as service hours.”

There are other obvious reasons for students to volunteer and help in their communities such as building a good resume for college and beyond. However, students should look at the deeper meaning of volunteering, which is helping people who need it most. Gomez explains how this is something she has recently come to understand.

“I think an obvious benefit to [volunteering] is that it looks really good on your college application, and it helps you with your graduation requirements for Mater Dei,” Gomez said. “But above all, the most important thing, and the most important benefit from service hours is that you truly do get to impact people. I think that’s something that I didn’t realize [until] recently; the impact I have on my community and the people I serve through my service hours. I really do get to change people’s lives and I think that’s my favorite thing about it.”