Varsity Letter in Community Service
Students who volunteer 145 or more hours of service in a year can earn their school varsity letter, the same as those earned by athletes and musicians.
Check back for details for the 2024-25 school year.
Basic Qualifications
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Be a student in grades 9-12 registered at a school that offers the program.
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Complete at least 145 hours of volunteer service between April 1st and March 31st of the current school year.
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Must have at least 50 hours of non school-related volunteering (e.g. nonprofit or civic service setting).
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Must have at least 10 hours of school-related volunteering.
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All volunteer activities must be verifiable.
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Meet the 2.0 GPA requirement or receive principal GPA requirement waiver.
Application Process
Page numbers reference the document linked below:
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Turn in the Student Information Form (page 2) and Academic Eligibility Form (page 3) to the Youth United Coordinator at your school as early as possible so they have your information on file.
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Keep track of your own hours using the Community Service Log. This will be turned in at the end of March (page 4).
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Turn in the Community Service Verification Forms (page 5) to the Youth United Coordinator at the end of March to complete your application.
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Refer to the FAQ's (page 6-7) to help.
Additional Resources
The requirements state that I have to complete at least 50 hours in a “non-school activity”. What type of volunteer work counts as a non-school activity?
- Farmer’s Market
- Stocking and distributing food at a food bank
- Community Events for a non-profit or fundraiser
- Environmental restoration work through a local non-profit
- Volunteering with a non-profit organization
These are just a few ideas; there are many ways to volunteer in your community. If you have questions about counting hours done in a non-school related activity, United Way at (360)457-3011.
The requirements state that I have to complete at least one “school activity”. What type of volunteer work counts as a school activity?
The following is a list of activities that can be done in school:
- Participating in a community service project through a school club
- Assisting a teacher before/after school or during the summer
- Volunteering with a parent organization within the school
- Volunteering as a student athletic trainer
- Assisting at sporting events, concerts, theater productions
These are just a few ideas; there are many ways to volunteer in your school. If you have questions about counting hours done in a school related activity, contact United Way at (360)457-3011.
I volunteered on a mission trip through my church or volunteered as a camp counselor, how do I count these hours?
If you volunteer on a mission trip or as a camp counselor, the hours are calculated as follows:
- During the school year: 10 hours per day
- During the summer: 15 hours per day
- If you have documentation proving that you served more hours per day, you may submit it with your application and will be credited with these hours if we are able to verify them with your provided contact.
Can I count hours from club or ASB meetings?
If you participate in a school club, you may count any hours that are spent organizing and implementing a service project. If you are in a club that uses meeting times to discuss other club business, you may not count those hours. Events such as district conventions or leadership workshops will not be counted (however, setting up and coordinating these events can be counted as a school activity).
I have to complete community service hours for a class or so that I can graduate, can I count these hours towards my Varsity Letter?
Yes, any community service or volunteer hours done to meet a graduation or class requirement can be counted towards your Varsity Letter in Community Service.
What are some of the other guidelines for qualifying service for the Varsity Letter Program?
- Hours performed for school sanctioned activities that are a requirement or expectation of a class may be counted toward the Varsity Letter Award. Up to 20 hours of time spent in activities that qualify toward another school Varsity letter may be applied toward the Varsity Letter in Community Service.
- Work performed in a for-profit business or organization does not qualify, although there are few occasions when it will be accepted. Any work done for a for-profit business or organization must be pre-approved through the United Way of Clallam County office before the work is started if it is to be counted toward the Varsity Letter. Failure to pre-approve this time will automatically disqualify it for this award.
- Participating in competitions do not qualify for volunteer service for this award.