Aim to complete 25 hours of community service each year of high school to have the 100 hours needed for the Bright Futures Academic Scholarship. Students can begin accruing Bright Futures Community Service hours the summer before 9th grade begins.
Service hours for Bright Futures will count starting the summer before enrolling in high school. Any hours completed before that time will not count towards the Bright Futures Scholarship.
Community service hours are not a requirement to graduate high school but can be helpful to students in discovering careers of interest, demonstrating leadership skills for resumes and scholarships and, most importantly, giving back to their community.
Review the St. Johns County School District Community Service Guidelines prior to volunteering. These guidelines apply to community service hours reported on student transcripts used to verify Bright Futures eligibility.
Community service projects should benefit the entire community. This means that community service for events such as dances, carnivals, festivals, summer programs, etc., must be open to everyone, including those outside of a neighborhood or organization, and not require payment to participate in the event.
Verify that the organization you are planning to volunteer for is a non-profit organization by checking SunBiz. *Note: An organization being non-profit does not automatically guarantee service hours will be granted. Service completed for a non-profit organization must be done under the supervision of a staff member of the non-profit who is not related to the student and at a service location outside of the student’s home. For example, fostering animals, hosting a foreign exchange student or turning in supplies, canned goods, etc., to claim hours are not eligible activities.
Turn in your hours per the guidelines listed above as soon as you complete the hours rather than saving them all until the end of high school to submit.
Local Community Service Opportunities:
Meals on Wheels: mealsonwheelsamerica.org/americaletsdolunch?sign-up=1
American Red Cross: redcrossyouth.org/scholarships/be-a-volunteer/
United Way: unitedway.org/get-involved/volunteer#
Epic-Cure: epic-cure.org/ways-to-help
Hugs Across the County – Opportunities include sorting clothes donations, food, and more. Email info@stjohnshugs.org or call 904-580-4847 with questions.
*If volunteering at a St. Johns County School, students must sign in and sign out of KeepNTrack in the school’s front office to have community service hours verified by the district.
Virtual Service Hours Opportunities
Please submit hours for completing pre-approved virtual community service projects from the list below to your high school as you would for a face-to-face service activity. Procedures for submitting hours can be found on your school’s School Counseling website. Face-to-face activities are still acceptable to submit hours for, and information on those can be found in the Local Service Opportunities list below or any activity pre-approved by your school.
