- We understand that fulfilling the service hour requirement may be challenging. We encourage our students to get creative in finishing hours. For example, students may do things like yard work for their neighbors who cannot get out. In addition, we have students who are writing letters to people who are working on the front lines or people who are the nursing homes, or collecting and disposing of neighborhood trash/litter, reading books and posting them for children. All of these activities would be appropriate and would meet our service learning expectations.
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- Visit this website for more ideas on how to help others from home.
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- Volunteer with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Go here for more information.
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- Digital volunteers with the Smithsonian. Go here to learn more.
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- Volunteer with zooniverse. Go here for more information.
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- 9/11 Day of Service also provides many opportunities for our students. Go here to learn more. Also, here.
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Reeves-Rogers Elementary has a spring festival, "Reeves-fest," coming up April 5th. They would love to have some volunteers from Central that need some service hours to come help us run some games. If you want to help out, a link to sign up is provided below! If you have any questions, contact Amanda Robinson at [email protected]
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Here's another online volunteer opportunity for both middle school and high school students. Spread the Love is a student-led non-profit organization that is dedicated to spreading encouragement and positivity to children with special needs. Volunteers with STL can write either physical or virtual letters + notes of encouragement to these children. STL coordinates with parents of special needs children to create a list of interests/hobbies of each child, from which volunteers can choose who they wish to write to. Each note or letter is expected to be personalized for the specific child they write to, and the note/letter to hour conversions are below:
- Notes are much shorter than letters (about 3 sentences), and 5 notes of encouragement = 1 hour of volunteer service.
- Letters (14+ sentences) are equivalent to 1 hour each.
Below, find links to their website, application form, Instagram, and information packet.
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- Murfreesboro Little Theater is hosting the Penguin Project! This is an organization that provides Broadway theater to youth with special needs. These young artists are accompanied on stage by a young mentor. This is an excellent way for students to earn community service hours and have fun working with differently abled people their own age. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the production team at [email protected]. For more information check out the link. https://www.facebook.com/MLTs-Penguin-Project-107181661680667
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- Collection Drives
Blood drives, food drives, winter clothing drives, book drives, shoe drives, jean drives, pop tab drives, etc. can all be run with health safety precautions in place. Encourage students to not only donate from their own home, if they're able, but to also practice their communication skills by reaching out to their neighbors and the broader community. Setting personal and group goals can also be a valuable learning experience.
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The Murfreesboro Community Garden off of State Street is a great place to get hours from February through October of each year. They meet each Saturday from 10am - noon and offer a variety of outdoor tasks to help with. They discuss plant biology, soil health, nutrition and food systems on the regular, so there are learning opportunities mixed in with work. Volunteers can find out more at facebook.com/mborogarden or by calling Autumn Shultz at 615-497-5936.
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A new service learning project with the nonprofit Tree-Plenish would be perfect for our students who are interested in the environment or looking to boost their college application. Tree-Plenish is an environmental organization run by college students to help high schools offset their paper usage by hosting tree planting events. In working with Tree-Plenish, the volunteering student(s) will set a tree goal based on our school’s paper consumption. From there, they will encourage residents to request saplings to be planted in their yard or volunteer to plant saplings on the day of the event. This event would come at no cost to them, and Tree-Plenish will provide mentorship during the planning process and saplings to be planted on the day of the event. It’s like a project in a box!
These events can be hosted by a single student or a group of students. If you’d like to learn more about hosting an event, make sure to take a look at their video and PowerPoint slides . If you are interested, you can fill out their quick, non-binding interest form to host an event here.
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- Looking for a way to help your local community from the comfort of your home? We're in need of Volunteer ESL (English Second Language) Teachers, Substitute Teachers and Tutors for our upcoming semester. Our fall semester will be conducted entirely online and begin in August.
We're offering virtual tutor training. After completing this training, you will have the skills and tools necessary to teach our adult learners. The majority of the training is done at your own pace with the final night of training conducted synchronically. As always, our services are free to anyone living or working in Rutherford Co. To learn more, email our Adult Literacy Coordinator, Elizabeth White at [email protected]
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- Linebaugh Public Library has had a few policy changes within their volunteer program: All applications must now be filled out online though our website (rclstn.org) and they require all volunteers to be 16 years old or older.
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- LaVergne Lake Elementary is in dire need of some help to clean out their iris beds. Contact Amy McCann at (615) 904-6730 ext30507 or [email protected], if you are interested.
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Should you have any students interested in volunteering for TN Promise, Goodwill would love for them to choose to volunteer with us. Feel free to reach out with any questions. If interested, contact
Billy Birdsong
Training Coach
Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.
2955 S. Church St. Murfreesboro, TN 37127
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The Barnabas Vision is a faith-based non-profit here in Rutherford County and has numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the year. They have several great programs which our students might be interested in and they are looking for engaging volunteers to help deliver them.
Adopt-A-Grandparent - Volunteers visit those in nursing homes who are isolated and visit with them at least once a month.
Healthcare Facility Devotionals - Partner with three different healthcare facilities in Murfreesboro and provide devotionals to them on a weekly basis.
After-School Enrichment - Partner with Bradley Academy's BAT program to provide encouragement and enrichment activities every Friday during the school year.
Youth Empowerment Zone - A seven-week summer character and leadership development class at Rutherford Pointe Apts in La Vergne to at-risk youth.
Encouragement Cards and Bags - Write out encouragement cards to clients who are in their Homelessness Prevention Program. Encouragement Bags are filled with food and hygiene items and distributed to homeless and low-income individuals and families
Elderly Support Program - Provide lawn care and cleaning services to those who are disabled or elderly within our community.
Summer Internship - Are offered to youth who may have in interest in working with non-profits, community service, or ministry.
Visit their website for further information regarding programs and services https://thebarnabasvision.org/. Contact Michael Miller for more information on any of their programs. P:(615) 556-5134 C: (305) 340-9088
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- Tennessee Engagement Center, likely just with upperclassmen who would enjoy being Lab Monitors in the main computer room, needs help staffing the IT Help Desk. Volunteers may even have the option of teaching a computer class. Contact Kathleen Tyree at 615.225.8312 or [email protected] if you are interested.
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- The Tennessee Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Center (TSEC) is a research and outreach arm of MTSU, aimed at improving K-20 STEM education both locally and nationally. TSEC partners with internal and external stakeholders to identify and address critical issues that impact access, equity, innovation, and leadership through collaborative activities, sponsored projects, and dissemination products at professional meetings and in practitioner and research journals. TSEC currently sponsors several high-profile annual events including the STEM Education Research Conference, the STEM Expo, and Posters at the Capitol, and invites the MTSU community to fulfill and refine the TSEC mission and vision through its involvement in existing programming or by initiating a conversation with us about how to better serve our constituencies. If interested contact Dr. Gregory T. Rushton at [email protected].
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- The Board of Directors of Mindful Care Adult Day Service in Murfreesboro is looking for help. They work with elderly clients who suffer from Dementia/Alzheimers. They have several fundraising events coming up in which they are in need of volunteers to help out in their events. This opportunity can provide students of many hours throughout the school year. If interested, contact Jennifer Hatfield at [email protected]
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- The Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee can always use help from 6-12 graders. Contact regional executive Dawn Rhodes at 615.690.7057 or [email protected] if you are interested.
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