Volunteering
"Be alert to give service. What counts a great deal in life is what we do for others." Anonymous 
OCREA tracks hours spent in Community Service Volunteering, as well as time spent specifically working on Literacy. Please select the correct form when submiting your volunteer hours.
| Type of Service | PDF Format | Excel Format | Submit Online | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Volunteering |  |
 |
Submit |  |
| Literacy Volunteering | |
|
Submit | |
Community Service Categories and Examples
The activities listed are only examples. There are many more that are not listed. More opportunities are listed in the Orlando Sentinel and local community newspapers.
Church-Related Work: Conducting Bible study, training, union; directing choir; advising youth groups; collecting food and clothing for the needy; counseling; visiting shut-ins; maintaining church grounds or cemetery; keeping nursery; etc.
Civic/Community Service: Providing for the needy--food banks, thrift shops, transportation, advisory boards; serving as tour guides/aides to museums, historic districts, zoos; fundraising; manning telephone "hot lines" for referrals or counseling; working with Meals On Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, Alpha Center, Neighborhood Watch, etc.; registering new voters; walking or running for charity, etc.
Hospital/Hospice/Private: Providing services (including entertainment and gifts) in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, home care progams; counseling victims of cancer, paralysis, stroke, AIDS, etc.; serving on advisory boards; working in any capacity to encourage preventative medacine, healthful living, health care, improvements in medical insurance and benefits, etc.
Personal Help to Others: NOT INCLUDING immediate family**, providing personal care, transportation, shopping, food, housekeeping, yard maintenance, odd jobs; managing business--banking, bill-paying, corresponding, helping with taxes, translating for the deaf or speakers of other languages; Guardian Ad Litem; babysitting; "foster" grandparenting.
**Count only those hours that are devoted exclusivly to the person(s) being assisted. DO NOT COUNT services that would be provided in the normal course of events.
Schools: Assisting in office, clinic, sports program, landscaping, grounds and building maintenance; chaperoning on field trips and social events; fundraising; speakers to classes or assemblies; sponsoring or assisting in clubs or extra-curricular activies; serving on advisory boards.
Ecology/Environment: Conserving and/or protecting wildlife and/or the environment; participating in bird counts; working in animal shelters or wildlife sanctuaries; conducting educational programs on endagered species (plan and animal), finite resources, good stewardship of the earth; publishing ecological/environmental newsletters, pamphlets, brochures; fundraising; recycling; tree planting; working in community cleanups; "adopting" or assisting in cleaning or landscaping public sites--median, rights-of-way, beaches, cemeteries, squares, parks, entrances to subdivisions, etc.
Drug Programs: Taking programs to schools or other groups; serving as mentor to youth at high risk, in Alcoholics Anonymous, "Stop Smoking" programs; serving on advisory board of drug agency, manning "hot line" for counseling, etc.
Miscellaneous: Serving in/for jails, prisons, detention homes, police departments--teaching, mentoring, counseling, serving on task force or advisory board; making or building art and/or craft projects for fundraisers--raffles, auctions for scholarships, or direct aid to organizations or individuals; coaching, refereeing, fundraising for community sports leagues; restoring toys and/or clothing for charitable organizations, etc.
Youth: We have been asked by the AARP-With Our Youth-to designate and report volunteer hours for youth (church, school, or any of the above areas). These hours will be included in your total community service hours, but will be seperated to send to AARP. This is strictly voluntary on your part, but it will help them with their program.
