Service Hours
America is a generous country - Service is priceless
No one can argue - Americans are generous. Generous with their time and with their money. There are nearly 2 million nonprofits in the US and every year. Some estimates put service hours in the US at over 20 billion hours.
There are many ways we can all contribute to our communities, and America 250 is a great time to make a challenge out of it. Can you complete 250 hours of service between now and July 4, 2026? Seems like alot? 250 hours = about 10.5 days. You can do it and make a difference!
National Park Service 250 hours of service challenge
Official National Challenge
The National Park Service will join the nation in commemorating and celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 and invite the public to take part in America Gives. The goal of America Gives is to achieve the largest year of service ever recorded by any country in 2026 in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To participate in America Gives as a National Park Service volunteer, individuals are encouraged to give 250 hours of volunteer service with participating federal agencies and receive a free Volunteer Pass to national parks and federal recreations lands in return.
Challenge yourself to 250 Hours of Service
There are many ways to contribute to your community!
Simply googling local nonprofits is one way to find out about opportunities. But you can also visit the JustServe website to find volunteer opportunities in your area! JustServe connects volunteers to the organizations that need them. They do the work of researching organizations, finding service projects, coordinating schedules, and bringing local service projects to you. I have had the pleasure of working with JustServe in the past when we hosted a huge Festival of Trees featuring all nonprofit trees at a huge mall -- they are a great orgainzation.
More ideas:
Organize street clean ups: Get classmates, your neighborhood, your church, your place of work - just get a group of volunteers and start cleaning up your town. Many cities will provide you with bags and will pick up the bags when you are done to disppose of them
Sing Christmas Carols for Seniors: Get classmates, your neighborhood, your church, your place of work - just get a group of volunteers, contact some senior centers or assisted living and go sing! create a list of songs, print out the words, and go sing!
