Almost all of the students of the eighth
grade class at Immaculate Heart of Mary School are going to be confirmed this year, and they will need service hours.
Each one of the students who decide to receive the sacrament of Confirmation
needs a minimum of 20 hours of service. Many students find it hard to find
things to do, and they need help. Many service hour opportunities exist, and
certain individuals can provide students with additional ideas.
To have your work count for an hour of
service, you must work for someone who needs help, and you also must work for
free. Additionally, you also have to
obtain a sheet, which is to be signed by the person you worked for. The sheet
states that you worked a certain amount of hours, and that
you did your job to the best of your abilities. The sheet also has a part for
the student to fill out. These sheets
can be obtained in the I.H.M. school office and at the Confirmation meetings.
Some of the things you can do for service
hours are things you do anyway; such as raking the leaves, mowing the lawn,
shoveling snow, and babysitting. Other
things, however, can be done to gain hours.
If your family, or someone in your family, owns
a business that you can help with, that can count for service hours. Another thing the students can do is to help
with Vacation Bible School. Also, students can also help with the One
Hot Meal Program, taking place at Saint Bernard’s Church in Akron. In addition, the students can help with
the set-up and takedown of the many things the school does, such as the
upcoming Night at the Races. The eighth
grade is also trying to setup a class trip to visit people in a nearby nursing
home. If the trip is possible, the
students will talk to and play games with the elderly residents. Everyone in the class will receive a certain
amount of hours. These are just a few of
the many, many things that the students can do to obtain hours.
Many students are unable
to participate in opportunities such as Vacation Bible School, or One Hot Meal. In this case, there is still hope. There are many things you can do, and all you
need to do is contact the right people.
The best people to contact are Sister Mary Kay and Mrs. DeWitt. To get in touch with Mrs. DeWitt, all you
need to do is call the school at 330.923.1220 and ask to speak with Mrs. DeWitt. In order to speak with Sister Mary Kay, you
need to call the I.H.M. rectory at 330.929.8361. , extension 11, or speak with
her at one of the up-coming Confirmation meetings. Mrs. DeWitt can provide the students with
ideas that they can do for the school.
Sister Mary Kay will provide things that the students can do for the
church and for the surrounding community.
There are literally hundreds of things you can
do for service hours. From babysitting
your younger brother while your mom is shopping, to helping administer food to
people at a homeless shelter, to helping setup for the school activities. And remember, the service hours are meant to
help you get a better understanding of Confirmation, and what it is like to
help people, so enjoy the opportunity to help others and better understand the
true meaning of Confirmation.
