Happy New Year to all the FCG members, families, and youth golfers. As we prepare for the new year full of excitement for competition and challenges on the links. It is also the time to plan a community service project in order to make a difference off the course, especially if your looking to take your game to the next level in college.
Why “Community Service” Is So Important for College Admissions
- With more students competing for fewer spots, community service becomes a very valuable component on your college applications.
- If a spot at your dream school comes down to you or another student — your GPA, test scores, and strength of schedule are equal — it could be your “community service” experience that is the “tie-breaker” between equally qualified students and can see your dream become reality.
How do Colleges Evaluate Community Service?
- Passion: Choose community service project based on interests/passions.
- Sustain: Spend at least a year on a service project vs collecting hours.
- Team Player: Individual projects are valuable but working on a community engagement project with others is encouraged.
- Diversity: Projects that deepen your understanding of diversity, not by “doing for” people from different backgrounds, but by collaborating with diverse groups (“doing with”) on community projects.
- Building skills: Focus on generating ethical and emotional awareness.
Colleges value community service that you’re passionate about, you’re committed to, betters your community or school, and that builds skills and deepens your understanding of diversity and ethics.
FCG-FOJ AMBASSADOR COMMUNTY SERVICE
Everyone battling cancer/disease lives, breathes, hopes and prays they have-NED– No Evidence of Disease with each doctor’s visit. Until there is a cure for the beast, we and thousands of other families battling a cancer/disease diagnosis will live for these 3 words. Spread NED!
What does a FCG-FOJ Ambassador do? “Spread NED”
- FCG junior golfers receive “Hands On” community service hours by actively engaging in FCG-FOJ Ambassador program to “Spread NED”
- Order and wear FCG-FOJ Ambassador golf shirt at a FCG tournament
- Spread NED=Inspire/Give Hope by creatively shining your bright light on the cancer/disease that personally affects and others with FOJ NED T-shirts.
- Engage your school and local business owners to order FCG-FOJ NED t-shirts for their employee’s color/choice of cancer with their company logo on sleeve, have students and employees recognized at FCG tournament.
- Employee’s, students, family and friends raise awareness wearing color/cancer t-shirt and share their story on social media tagging #NED. QR code for fundraising, leaving a positive social media digital footprint.
How does FOJ Ambassador get Community Service Validated?
1.Order: FCG-FOJ Ambassador golf shirt: https://friendsofjaclyn.org/store
2.Wear: FCG-FOJ Ambassador golf shirt at FCG tournament (Take Picture)
3.Social Media: “Share golf shirt picture and story of who and what cancer you are passionate about at www.friendsofjaclyn.org/ned
4. Be creative: Spread NED for cancer you are passionate at FCG tournaments, fundraise, host a drive, pitch, putt. QR code, Service hours letter available
FOJ Ambassador Community Service Golf Shirt and- “Spread NED” t-shirts
How Will Colleges Evaluate My Community Service?
Colleges want students to participate in authentic, meaningful community service that deepens their sense of gratitude, responsibility for the future, and appreciation of diversity.
- Students should engage in authentically chosen community service. This means that the volunteer opportunities you choose should emerge from your interests and passions.
- Ideally, students should spend at least a year on sustained service or community engagement. Community engagement refers to working in groups on community problems, but community engagement develops problem-solving skills, group awareness, and an understanding of and investment in the common good. This also means consistency and commitment are important. Working on one project over a long period of time is better than working on twelve different projects to “collect” hours.
- Students should also work on community service projects that deepen their understanding of diversity. “doing for” students from different backgrounds vs. students should “do with,” collaborating with diverse groups on school and community issues.
- The report explains that there is no need to “game” community service by seeking high-profile or exotic service opportunities in faraway places. The emotional and ethical awareness and skills generated by community service experiences are far more important.
Make the most of your community service experiences by:
- Choosing projects that relate to your passions and interests
- Committing to one or two meaningful projects for a sustained length of time, rather than racing to complete the most volunteer hours
- Prioritizing projects related to community engagement and diversity (“doing with” rather than “doing for” diverse groups)
And if you write about community service on your college applications, focus on a specific experience, reflecting on why it was meaningful to you and how it impacted you.
Why Community Service Is So Important for College Admissions
- Your dream school could come down to you or another student, and if your GPA, test scores, and strength of schedule are similar — it could be your community service experiences that is a tie-breaker between equally qualified students and give you the nod.
- Community service is not only important for personal development, but it can also be the deciding factor in a college admissions tiebreaker scenario.