Change the World through Community Service and Service Learning Experiences: This presentation at the 2017 AFACCT conference compared Community Service and Service Learning, and the importance of both concepts. The components of a Service Learning class were discussed, along with participants explaining some of the ways they have incorporated Service Learning into their courses. Service Learning can help to make a course more meaningful to the students, for they are putting what they are learning into action, all the while helping others in the community.

1. Changing the World through
Community Service
and Service Learning…
and then there are those Service Trips!!
Melissa Main
Frederick Community College
mmain@Frederick.edu
AFACCT ‘17 Conference
Harford Community College
Session 1:7: January 5, 2017 9am-10am

2. What is offered at your institution?
• Why types of service is offered by your
institutions?
• Which classes have service learning?
• How many of you offer break service trips?
– Where?
– During what breaks?
– Purpose?

3. Community Service
• Volunteer work intended to help people in a
particular area
• Often a one-time event
• Reaching out to those in need
• Unpaid work for the betterment of others
• (Judicial sanctions)

4. Who does Community Service?
• Individuals who want to get involved
• Church groups
• Group of friends
• Sororities/Fraternities
• Clubs/Organizations within colleges/schools
• Service Organizations (Lions Club, Rotary, etc.)
• Individual who need to fulfill judicial hours

5. Types of Community Service
• Soup Kitchens/Food Banks
• Food/Clothing Drives
• Habitat for Humanity/House restoration
• Community Shelter work
• Environmental clean-up
• Children projects (homework, reading corners,
scouts, etc.)
• Animal rescue/preservation
• Fundraisers for charities

6. Service Learning, and what that entails!
• Connected to a class
• Has a relationship with material being covered
in the class
• Real life experiences, giving meaning to what
is being learned
• Reflection on the meaning of the service, the
recipients, and the connection to the class
• Helps retention of learned material

7. Types of Service Learning
• Soup Kitchens/Food Banks
• Food/Clothing Drives
• Habitat for Humanity/House restoration
• Community Shelter work
• Environmental clean-up
• Children projects (homework, reading corners,
scouts, etc.)
• Animal rescue/preservation
• Fundraisers for charities

8. Community Service Learning
The Commonality of the two…
SERVICE

9. Similarities………
• Both benefit the community
• Both help out the needs of others
• Both bring goodness/joy to the community
• Both bring unity
• Both have outcomes that bring positivity
• Both help with the growth of those who serve
in numerous ways
• Both bring meaning to many lives

10. The Difference………….
• The difference between Community Service
and Service Learning lies in the “Community”
and the “Learning”
• Community - being served and the community
that is doing the serving
• Learning - based on self knowledge or the
knowledge of a class being taken
• What distinguishes that difference is
Reflection

11. Importance of Reflection in
Service Learning
• Learn more about those who are being served
through reflecting on their stories and the impact of
life
• Connects to class material, and retain material longer
with greater understanding of its purpose
• Self-knowledge about the meaning and purpose of
life

12. How is Reflection done?
• Variety of ways
– Reflection papers
– Class presentations
– Face to face discussions
• Not meant to be a large amount of added
work for the professor

13. The Pre-Work that is needed
• Contact agencies to see if they are willing to
have volunteers, and if there are any
requirements (Many Student Life/Service
Offices may have this)
• Have list of agencies/descriptions and contact
name/numbers ready for student use
• Forms for logging hours
• Requirements for Service Learning Project

14. Example of Agency List
Advocates for the Homeless Helping families to overcome homelessness, this organization is often in need of volunteers to help with evening
childcare, while parents are in classes.
Ken Allread, kallread@afhf88.org
The ALS Association – DC/MD/VA Chapter was founded in 1991 to serve the needs of those living with ALS and their families throughout the
Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas. ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, robs a person’s ability to walk, speak, eat, and
eventually breathe; while keeping their mind fully functional. Thanks to our Chapter’s Walk to Defeat ALS® Program we are able to raise $1.2
million a year to fund and provide FREE care services and programs to over 600 individuals and families touched by ALS today. It takes a
community to ensure these funds are raised, and this is why we need your help as a volunteer!
Brittany Garcia bgarcia@ALSinfo.org
American Cancer Society Together with our millions of supporters, the American Cancer Society (ACS) saves lives and creates a world with
less cancer and more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back. The American
Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem.
http://www.cancer.org/
Laurie Frey, 888-866-0757
The ARC of Frederick County provides individually designed support services and collaborates with the community to build inclusive
programs for adults and children with developmental disabilities.
www.arcfc.org
Shauna Mulchay, 301-663-0909

15. Example of Hours Log
Date Total # of hours Service provided Supervisor’s Approval
Please use this form to record your service hours. Upon completion of your commitment,
please give a copy to your site supervisor and your instructor.
Name ___________________________________Semester/Year ___________________
Course ________________________________ Instructor ________________________
Name of Organization/Non-Profit _____________________________________________
Type of Service Organization Provides _________________________________________
Address of Service Site ____________________________________________________
Supervisor _________________________________ Phone ________________________
Total hours completed ______ Supervisor’s Signature/Date __________________________

16. Q&A about Community Service and
Service Learning

17. Service Trips
The 5 W’s and an H!
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
And HOW?

18. WHO do we Serve?
Those in need in any way
• Hungry
• Homeless or living in substandard housing
• Financially insecure
• Children
• Adults
• Young and old
• All faiths, creeds, color, orientations, genders, etc.
• In other words: Those with a true need of any kind

19. WHAT needs to be done to go?
• Organize trips to locations with people in need
• Reaching out to give of ourselves, which in
turn will fill us
• Giving our time in order to give time to others
• Sharing love with our fellow
humans/creatures/environment for the
betterment of all

20. WHEN do you go?
• During school breaks: Fall, Winter, Spring –
with Spring Break being the largest
• Summer sessions, longer trips
• Weekends
• Holidays

21. WHERE do you go?
• The sky is the limit on this one! If you can
imagine it, plan it, and work hard, you can go
to many places around the world in need
• Local, domestic, international
• Where you want to go, or where specific trip
planning organizations will lead you

22. WHY do you go?
• To Serve
• To Give
• To Learn
• To Experience
• To Live
• It’s never about your need, but rather the needs
of those with whom you will come in contact!

23. HOW do you make it happen?
• Plan Ahead! Step by step process
– Interest of the students for these trips?
– Check out locations (online, but even better is word of
mouth from other colleges- what has worked and
what has not worked)
– Make contacts, set dates, plan trip details, set fees
– Advertise with students
– Have applications/waivers available
– Have planning meeting with students to set details of
the trip
– Go and make wonderful and lasting memories!

24. Q&A of Service Trips