Everyone knows volunteering benefits high school students, but where are the best places to volunteer near Placer? 

What many students and parents don’t know is there are many opportunities at Placer to volunteer. For example, the Placer Environmental Club run by Mikaela Balaban, and the Key Club, a national organization run at Placer by Ava Cohn are great opportunities to volunteer. 

The environmental club meets every Wednesday at lunch and has optional opportunities to volunteer after school. This year the environmental club has already participated in a Clementine Beach clean-up and an American River clean-up. 

By participating in just those two activities, students had the opportunity to earn up to 6 hours of service hours and had fun doing it! 

Madeline Woody, the freshman representative for the environmental club said there are opportunities to volunteer, “…nearly every other weekend for 2-4 hours.”

The Key Club is another great option if you don’t have time after school, but still want to help your community. There are regular opportunities for extra volunteer time including during lunch meetings.

Joining a volunteer club on campus is a great way to get structured volunteering. 

If you don’t have the time or interest to join a club, another option is to find somewhere outside of school. Reaching out to your nearest county library, pet shelter, or retirement home is a great way to make a difference and make new friends and connections while you are doing it. The employees at these organizations will usually take any extra help they can get. 

You can also open “VolunteerMatch”, a site to find up-to-date information about online and local volunteer opportunities. In addition, more options are posted on the job board on the second floor of the Learning Commons. 

If you are having trouble finding a place to volunteer, take matters into your own hands! Anyone can organize a park clean-up.

Katy Chamberlain recommends, “Picking a project, organizing it, or being part of the team that organizes it and then doing it again.” 

Students also have the opportunity to involve others in their community service. Any Placer High School student can start a club, all you have to do is come up with an idea, find an advisor, and take initiative. 

According to Chamberlain, “If you have a group of students interested in a topic/activity/cause and then have a staff person willing to advise, you can start a club. It is up to the students how much time or what they want to achieve.” 

Taking part in volunteering not only benefits the community but also yourself.

Joining a community service club is a great way to meet new people and get more involved in your community, it also looks great on applications.

Katy Chamberlin, a counselor at Placer High School said, “[Colleges] are looking for depth and leadership in a few volunteer activities and not just a long list of 1 hour or 1 off shifts.  They want to see altruism, life-building volunteerism that reflects personal growth and commitment.”

 You can also show your commitment to helping society by writing about community service in your college application essay. 

“The essay prompts center around personal growth, overcoming an obstacle, or finding a passion…..any or all of that can happen while volunteering depending on the volunteer and then project.”

Community service is important even if you don’t plan to go to college.

“Regardless of the career you want, I think volunteering is super important,” said Woody.  “It makes you more compassionate and involved with the community and the world.” 

All of that is very good, but what is most important in the end is how you feel about yourself. 

Volunteering makes you a better person. “It is great for learning how to give to others unselfishly and build up a student’s personal sense of accomplishment, responsibility, open-mindedness, and of course resume building. Students learn to commit to a task or project, collaborate with others, and serve a cause, community or purpose other than one just for themselves,” said. Chamberlain. 

Woody agreed, “It reminds me that it’s possible for me to make a difference in problems that oftentimes feel overwhelming.”