10 Ways to Get UR Good on This Summer

Our friends at at Youth Service America have generously provided NHS and NJHS with the following list of 10 great ideas for providing service during the summer months. You can also find a list of additional ideas from the Corporation for National Service below.

Good luck and have a great summer!

1. Ask your friends and family to help you set up a lemonade stand and donate the money you make to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. When she was 1 year-old, Alex Scott was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. At 4 years-old, she set up a lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer research and it became an annual tradition. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to get your stand started on Alex’s Lemonade site. Alex's Lemonade Stand
2. Ask your neighbor if they’re going on vacation this summer and offer to pet-sit for free.
3. If you are a certified lifeguard, offer to volunteer at your local YMCA a few days a week. Search for your local YMCA on their site: YMCA locations
4. Hurricane season begins this week. Research information about disaster relief and preparedness and share it with people in your life. If you live in an area that experiences hurricanes, make a disaster relief kit or make sure you have everything you need in the one you already have. Visit the Always Ready Kids website for more information on disaster relief: www.alwaysreadykids.org
5. If you are at least 17 years-old, donate blood on World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) on June 14th. Learn more about WBDD on the Good Projects page: Good Projects page
6. Get World Cup Fever! Support your city’s homeless street soccer team by cheering them on and preparing them for the Street Soccer USA Cup (July 30 - August 1). www.streetsoccerusa.org. You can also host a drive to collect soccer accessories like soccer balls,cleats, or shin pads. Donate the goods you collect to Soccer Without Borders: www.soccerdreamswithoutborders.org
7. If you have any elderly neighbors, offer to mow their lawn, help them with their gardening, or help them during their next trip to the grocery store.
8. It’s warm, so people will be wearing open-toed shoes and they want to have pretty toes. Give pedicures to residents at a nursing home or shelter.
9. When you pull out your warm-weather clothes, donate items that don’t fit you anymore to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. Search their sites to find out which Goodwill or Salvation Army location is closest to you.
10. Help promote literacy and Summer reading! Find an organization in your community that would like to receive books donations. Register the organization with First Book, an organization that provides books to children in need: Registration

Tell the world how you want to change the world by joining Get Ur Good On.

Additional Ideas from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNS):

United We Serve: Let's Read. Let's Move. needs your help. There are plenty of ways to make an impact. Do your part by participating in one of the service projects below - and please let us know if your organization is already planning similar activities by emailing serviceinitiative@cns.gov.

1. Encourage a child to meet the President's Active Lifestyle Challenge
2. Organize a book drive
3. Create a community garden
4. Build or rehab a playground
5. Clear a walking trail
6. Sponsor a sports tournament or camp for kids
7. Read to kids - reading five books over the summer prevents summer learning loss - it's that easy
8. Conduct summer feeding program outreach
9. Collect and donate fresh produce from a local farm
10. Organize a back-to-school supplies drive

NHS and NJHS values hearing about your summer service activities and ideas. Please email your activity or opportunities to nhs@nhs.us, with the subject line “Summer Service.” Thank you!

Obtained from www.YSA.org/content/10-ways-get-ur-good-summer
Used with permission of Youth Service America, www.ysa.org