Volunteering is part of our P.R.I.D.E values at Sam Rayburn High School. It shows our integrity, dependability, and excellence through service and volunteering to give back to our community. This gives Texans a sense of accomplishment, while boosting their mental health and the wellness of others. Students can earn a service cord for graduation if they complete at least 175 volunteer hours during 9th through 12th grade years. Students are also eligible to be considered for the prestigious Vanguard Award if they volunteer more than 300 hours during their high school years. Show your Texan Pride, volunteer!

Community service is unpaid work performed to benefit people and organizations in the community without any form of compensation. In order to ensure that students are completing meaningful community service hours, we have created the following guidelines:

• Volunteer hours can be earned through opportunities with campus clubs/organizations.
• There are both on and off-campus opportunities for service hours, and students are encouraged to participate in a variety of service projects.
• Examples of off-campus service includes but are not limited to:
  • Volunteering in the community. Some locations include: at an animal shelter, the Humane Society, the Pasadena Library, Armand Bayou Nature Center
    • Volunteer Application
    • Volunteer Pasadena
  • Working at a food bank
  • Visiting the elderly at a nursing home
  • Building a house with Habitat for Humanity
  • Trash pick-up with Pasadena Organizations
• Activities that generally do not count as community service include:
  • Philanthropy – the donation of items (unless it is an SRHS drive)
  • Work for which you receive compensation

We recognize there may be situations where it is difficult to determine whether or not an activity meets the requirements classified as service, and we encourage students to email Mr. Castro at jcastro@pasadenaisd.org with any questions or concerns.

• Volunteer hours must be submitted the semester they are earned to Mr. Castro in the Counseling Center.
• There is a maximum of 20 hours for each event unless prior approval is obtained.
• Volunteering with SRHS Club/Organization - make sure that the teacher sponsor enters your volunteer time within the same semester of the time the volunteer hours were completed. 
• For other hours earned at SRHS, keep a log with the events, dates, times, and sponsor signatures. Logs can be picked up in the Counseling Center.
• Any hours earned outside of SRHS will require a log and a letterhead from the organization with a written explanation of hours and a contact name and number for verification.
• Make sure that all documentation of volunteer hours is accompanied by detailed volunteer hour logs. These logs can be obtained in the SRHS Counseling Center and MUST include the date of the activity, the start and end time of the activity, a description of the activity itself, the signature of the person that was overseeing you doing the activity, and the contact information (e-mail and phone number) of the person with whom you worked with on the activity.
• We can’t emphasize enough the importance of providing the information of the direct person with whom you worked on the activity. Volunteer hours will be verified by a staff member from SRHS contacting this person directly by phone, e-mail, or both. That information must be provided in order for you to get credit for the hours.
• Students may view their SRHS Volunteer Hours tally by clicking the link to the left of this page. Students must be logged into the PISD Google account to view this information. 
• Remember that credit for all volunteer hours is subject to principal approval.
• To learn more about current community service opportunities, please check the volunteer board or contact Counseling Secretary Justine Rios or Mr. Castro in the Counseling Center.