As a graduation requirement, each student has to have 90 service hours, but that comes with many struggles for those who do not know how to help in their community.

With nearly 1,000 hours served volunteering at church, tutoring and working at Bishop John Carroll school, senior Colin Le leads the student body with the highest number of recorded hours.

“Through the services I do, I see a lot of happiness through other people and that’s how I experience happiness,” Le said.

A common place to volunteer is at church, since volunteers are always needed and appreciated. 

Junior Thien-An Nguyen helps her community by volunteering in youth groups with her church, The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where she participates in different seasonal events such as preparing for Lunar New Year celebrations. She also helps set up and serve tables at these events. She occasionally volunteers to be an altar server at her church and helps to train new servers. 

“We clean, we set up and we serve tables,” Nguyen said. “There’s a really big celebration, because she’s like the Vietnamese Mary.”

Sophomore Jackson Merkel also serves at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is where he gets the majority of his hours. He mainly serves on Sundays, but also serves whenever the church needs someone. 

“I devote a lot of my time to my faith and serve at church on Sundays,” Merkel said. “Every time that my Church calls, I always say yes.” 

Senior Alyssa Schmit and freshman Kathryn Ison both help serve the community through activities at Christ the King. Schmit is an altar server and makes rosaries at Christ the King, and Ison volunteered at a Christ the King art camp over the summer where she helped organize crafts for kids. 

 “I’m able to help the community by giving back to the church and that helps so many others,” Schmit said.

Over the years, students have looked for more creative ways to volunteer, like sophomore Rebecca Horn who works at Integris at the information desk and delivers flowers to patients.

“It’s a nice feeling to know that you’re directly affecting their experience at the hospital, hopefully making it easier or providing directions and reassurance when it’s like a really unsure time,” Horn said.

Although many look for different ways to serve the community, often the things students can help with are close to them and any help makes an impact.

 “You can make a big difference all by yourself,” Merkel said.

Volunteering is not all about work. Students say they form bonds with others while serving the community. 

“I’ve been a member of Christ the King church since second grade so I’ve been able to grow relationships with the staff and office workers,” Schmit said.

Studies have shown when people volunteer, they gain a sense of accomplishment and feel valued.

“I like volunteering because you feel good about yourself,” Merkel said. “You know that you helped out without taking something in return.”

As an incentive to volunteer, seniors who have 300 or more service hours are eligible to receive a red cord to wear at graduation, distinguishing them as a “Person for Others.”