Volunteerism and community service can be rewarding experiences, but they can also help a student pay for their college tuition and expenses. How? Currently there are hundreds of opportunities available to people who regularly volunteer to apply for scholarships, prizes and even forgivable loan programs.
A scholarship search for a student who regularly volunteers should begin at the location or locations where they frequently give their time and service. Many of these groups regularly make awards to their active volunteers and will require just a simple application and essay to provide the scholarship funds. Some of these groups will give a single, one-time scholarship, but others will provide funding to their student volunteer each year they submit an application. While these may not provide enormous sums of money, they can easily cover partial tuition, supplies or even the cost of living for a student.
Volunteers should check with the hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers where they give time, they should also check with veterans organizations, their own churches, synagogues or mosques, the fraternal organizations and historical societies that their parents belong to and any other community groups where they have an affiliation. For example, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution provides scholarships to members as well as to students pursuing degrees in specific fields. These tend to be service or historical pursuits and usually require the applicant to have community involvement.
Another method of performing a successful scholarship search is to analyze the specific area that the volunteerism is taking place. For example, a student who regularly gives their time at their public library, a Head Start program, or in a day care or child care center would do well to search for agencies awarding scholarships for childhood education, literacy or other related fields. While volunteering may not be a part of the requirements of receiving such scholarships, it will demonstrate to the scholarship committee that a student is pursuing a degree for something that they have a deep dedication and long term involvement.
Finally, there are many loan forgiveness programs in which a volunteer gives their time in exchange for their educational funding. This occurs most frequently with teaching degrees and medical degrees. The student makes an agreement prior to enrolling in school to give a specific number of hours or service years and the group or organization funds their education, either in part or in full.
One of the most well-known agencies that provide educational funding to its volunteers is AmeriCorps. While this is not a loan forgiveness program, it is a hefty financial reward for successfully completing an approved volunteer program.
There are many ways for students to help their communities through service and volunteerism, and for many they can help themselves get the education they desire while they play a significant role in the world around them.