Service & Outreach

At St. Joe's we believe that it is not only our privilege to help develop Vir Fidelis, the Faithful Man, but it is our responsibility, as a school community. With that in mind, the departments of Campus Ministry and Theology, together will be implementing a new SJR Service Plan for all students. The focus of this year’s Campus Ministry Service Plan is to enable students to grow in their faith and their relationship with God through service. Students will be offered various opportunities to come together as brothers who serve God and others, allowing them to become servants to their school, their parish and the local community. The emphasis of serving God in a humble and meaningful way, is reflective of our patron saint, St. Joseph and his devotion and loyalty to God and is one of our three pillars - Think, Lead, SERVE. The mission of this year’s plan is as follows:

Each student will contribute a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer service with opportunities and organizations that meet the requirements as stated by the office of Campus Ministry and in accordance with the Theology Dept. A minimum of the first 5 hours are to be completed Friday January 10, 2025. This allows time for students who may be engaged in a service project over the Christmas break to submit their hours upon return from the break. Service hours will be properly documented by the student, signed by their supervisor on the SJR Service Log form and submitted to their Theology teacher no later than this date. The remainder of the hours are to be completed no later than Monday June 6, 2025. Students do not need to wait until 6/6/25 to submit their hours, in fact it is encouraged to begin working on them as early in the school year as possible. Upon completion of 10 hours of service, each student will write and submit a one page reflection essay about their volunteering experiences that will constitute 10% of their Theology grade. 

*Students are certainly permitted to exceed the 10 hour service requirement; however, only one reflection essay is due on or before June 6, 2025.

 

Service:
Students may select service projects/events that are offered through SJR as well as external service opportunities. SEE GUIDELINES FOR QUALIFYING SERVICE (below). “In house” opportunities will be available on a first come, first serve basis for sign ups. There will be multiple opportunities throughout the school year. Examples may include but are not limited to: in-house school-wide drives ie. Halloween Candy Drive, Thanksgiving Food Drive, Christmas Toy Drive, the SJR Sandwich Club, trips to Mercy House in Newark, visiting a senior living facility, soup kitchen, etc.

 

Qualifying Service:
All projects must benefit people, not animals. The projects must be above and beyond a student’s (a) family responsibilities, both immediate (father, mother, sister, brother) and extended (grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles) and (b) responsibilities as a member of a school or community group (e.g., National Honor Society, Student Government, sports programs). You may not be absent from school or leave early to do service hours, unless you are participating in a project we sponsor. If there is any doubt about the kind of service that qualifies, the student should see his Theology teacher before doing a project. If you volunteer to coach children, the league or organization must be non-profit. A privately owned one does not count for our service purposes.

Non-Qualifying Service:
The following types of work do not count as service hours that we would formally recognize: SJR’s summer camp programs; any work for which you receive payment or remuneration; helping any for-profit business (even doctors, unless they are sponsoring a free clinic or charitable event); coaching anyone enrolled in a for profit agency (local recreation leagues are okay); tutoring or mentoring; child care for a relative or neighbor (e.g., babysitting); helping political organizations (unless they are sponsoring a charitable event that helps the whole community); helping neighbors with any work they can do themselves and/or afford to pay someone to do it; helping a relative “at the office”; and helping students older than 6th grade. For the handicapped, any grade level is acceptable. Your service must benefit the community at large, the elderly, the poor, the handicapped, children, or disadvantaged people. Doing something “for free” does not automatically qualify it as community service. It is your responsibility to know what kind of service counts. When in doubt, ask your Theology teacher or Mrs. Podest in Campus Ministry.

Suggestions for Service Hours:
We will be offering service opportunities to our students throughout the school year. In addition, students should identify their own projects and sites. This hands-on approach allows them to choose projects suited to their own interests, schedules and often engage their families if it is something that they are all passionate about. Some suggested projects are as follows: blood bank, charity organization, coaching grammar school children (nothing beyond 6th grade), elderly people (e.g., nursing home, assisted living facility), E.M.T. (ambulance), environmental clean-up, fire department, food kitchen or pantry, Habitat for Humanity, handicapped people (e.g., Special Olympics), homeless shelter, hospital volunteer, Knights of Columbus, parish volunteer (altar server, CCD teacher or aide, general help, lector, retreat team, Youth Group), police department, public library, Veterans Home, any drive conducted for needy people or any fundraiser for an established charity

Recognition for Outstanding Service:
Just as we acknowledge students for their outstanding performance in other areas of school life, we will continue to recognize those students who perform outstanding amounts of service. SJR Service Awards will be presented to a very select group of seniors who have contributed to their community in the most meaningful ways and simultaneously accomplish the highest number of service hours. Theology teachers are at liberty to offer incentives and recognition to their students at their own discretion.