Youth Mentoring & Academic Support
Mentor young people, assist with homework, encourage educational achievement, support college and career readiness, promote positive decision-making, and help youth develop confidence and leadership skills.
CommunityProgram 08
Community Service & Civic Engagement: 2026 & Beyond
Serving With Purpose. Building Skills. Strengthening Communities. Meaningful service opportunities that develop leadership, workforce readiness, and lasting community value.
About the Program
Service with purpose and measurable impact.
The Designed to Soar, Inc. Community Service Program connects youth, adults, families, seniors, students, volunteers, and community members with meaningful opportunities to give back while developing valuable skills, relationships, confidence, and a stronger connection to their community.
Our 2026 & Beyond Community Service Initiative is designed to move beyond simply completing volunteer hours. We believe service should have purpose, measurable impact, personal development, and lasting community value.
Participants may be matched with service opportunities according to their interests, abilities, experience, availability, and the needs of the community. Whether someone gives one afternoon or hundreds of hours, every act of meaningful service can help another person soar.
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Who It's For
Youth, adults, families, seniors, and students
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Documentation
Verified documentation of completed service hours
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Training
Orientation provided before placement
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Cost
Free — no participation fee
2026 & Beyond Service Areas
15 areas of community service.
Senior Citizen Support & Companionship
Provide companionship, friendly visits, technology assistance, recreational activities, community engagement, and other non-medical support that helps older adults remain connected and valued.
Veteran & Military Family Support
Participate in appreciation projects, outreach events, resource drives, housing-related projects, care packages, and community activities supporting veterans and their families.
Homelessness & Housing Support
Assist with donation drives, hygiene kits, clothing distribution, household-startup kits, outreach events, food assistance, and projects supporting individuals and families transitioning toward stable housing.
Food & Nutrition Assistance
Support food pantries, community food distributions, meal programs, food drives, community gardens, and outreach addressing food insecurity.
Family Support Projects
Assist families experiencing hardship through clothing drives, school-supply distributions, holiday programs, household goods, resource navigation, and other community-based assistance.
Reentry & Second-Chance Service Opportunities
Provide appropriate opportunities for individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration to positively contribute to their communities, develop workplace habits, strengthen interpersonal skills, and demonstrate community involvement.
Community Beautification & Environmental Service
Participate in neighborhood cleanups, community gardens, litter removal, beautification projects, recycling initiatives, park projects, and environmental stewardship.
Disaster Preparedness & Community Recovery
When appropriately trained and partnered, volunteers may assist with preparedness education, supply organization, donation management, community recovery projects, and support following emergencies.
Digital Literacy & Technology Assistance
Help seniors and other community members learn basic computer, smartphone, email, online application, video-conferencing, and internet-safety skills.
Workforce & Career Service Projects
Qualified volunteers may assist with résumé workshops, mock interviews, job-search support, professional clothing drives, career fairs, computer assistance, and employment-resource events.
Financial Literacy Support
Qualified or appropriately supervised volunteers may assist with financial-literacy events covering budgeting, savings, banking, credit education, and financial-resource navigation.
Faith & Community Partnership Projects
Collaborate with churches, nonprofits, schools, community organizations, businesses, and other partners on service projects addressing identified community needs.
Donation & Community Resource Drives
Organize food, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, coats, household items, baby supplies, and other community-resource campaigns.
Special Events & Community Outreach
Assist with community fairs, educational workshops, youth events, senior events, resource fairs, housing outreach, holiday programs, and other Designed to Soar initiatives.
Skills-Based Volunteering
Bring your expertise. Multiply your impact.
AmeriCorps' FY2026 Volunteer Generation Fund specifically emphasizes recruiting and retaining skill-based and pro-bono volunteers, along with defined roles, training, supervision, feedback, and volunteer retention.
People shouldn't only be asked to pack boxes or clean up a property. A volunteer may already have valuable professional knowledge that can benefit the community. Experienced or appropriately credentialed volunteers could contribute skills in administration, bookkeeping, technology, construction, electrical work, education, mentoring, communications, graphic design, grant support, résumé preparation, photography, event planning, landscaping, or other professional areas.
Student Community Service
Structured service for students at every level.
Designed to Soar provides structured service opportunities for middle school, high school, college, vocational, and other eligible students who need community-service experience. Where appropriate, Designed to Soar can maintain records of hours actually completed and verified and provide documentation based on its records.
Skills students develop:
LeadershipResponsibilityCommunicationTeamworkTime ManagementProblem-SolvingCareer AwarenessCommunity Engagement
Family & Intergenerational Service
Serve together. Grow together.
Designed to Soar offers opportunities for parents, children, grandparents, and other family members to volunteer together. Community service becomes something families can experience together rather than simply an individual obligation — building bonds, shared purpose, and a legacy of giving back.
Community Service to Career Development
Service that builds your future.
A Soar Member who completes meaningful service may gain real-world experience, professional references when appropriate, and skills that directly connect to the Workforce Development Program.
Work Experience
Professional References
Leadership Experience
New Skills
Networking Opportunities
Résumé-Building
Increased Confidence
Career Exploration
Volunteer Orientation & Training
Prepared, professional, and purposeful.
Before placement, volunteers receive an orientation appropriate to their assignment covering expectations, professionalism, confidentiality, boundaries, safety, attendance, communication, nondiscrimination, appropriate conduct, and reporting procedures. Volunteers working with vulnerable populations — particularly children, seniors, or individuals with disabilities — are assigned only after any required screening, background checks, training, supervision, and partner-agency requirements are satisfied.
Service Achievement & Recognition
Every hour of service is honored.
Designed to Soar recognizes volunteers who reach meaningful service milestones with certificates, recognition at annual events, and letters documenting verified service.
25 Hours
Community Contributor
50 Hours
Community Builder
100 Hours
Soaring Servant Leader
250 Hours
Community Impact Leader
500+ Hours
Distinguished Service Award
"And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."
At Designed to Soar, community service is more than completing hours.
It is an opportunity to discover purpose, develop skills, strengthen families, build leaders, and transform communities. Whether someone gives one afternoon or hundreds of hours, every act of meaningful service can help another person soar.
Get Involved
Ready to serve your community?
Apply for community service opportunities or contact us to learn more about how you can make a difference.