Community Service: The Gift that Gives Back

Using concepts like making amends and carrying the message forward, the 12-Step program of recovery emphasizes the importance of community service. In past years, some of the community service projects at SunHawk have included:

• Reading books to preschool children at the local library
• Caroling at a local nursing home
• Volunteering time at an animal shelter
• Assisting with a state park clean-up project
• Sharing personal stories with students at local middle schools and high schools

Volunteering at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

One of our most memorable and influential service projects included a volunteer opportunity at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a national organization with a local chapter that helped rescue 22 pit bulls seized from ex-NFL star Michael Vick. After taking a tour of the facility and learning how to work with dogs, the students helped by walking the dogs, feeding the animals, maintaining the walking trails, and cleaning the horse pastures. With the help of SunHawk's students and other volunteers, the pit bulls are now learning how to play and love, receiving top-notch care until they can be either adopted or live out their lives at the sanctuary.

Volunteering at the animal sanctuary is just one of many ways students at SunHawk give back to the community. Every week students have an opportunity to participate in a different service project, so that each individual is certain to find something they feel passionate about. After every service project, the students participate in a group session where they process the experience and share what they learned or gained by giving back. This way, students are more likely to continue serving others and working the 12 Steps after they leave SunHawk.

What Students Say about SunHawk Service Projects

"Community service gives us an opportunity to make something of ourselves - to live productive lives from here on."

"So many people have helped me, it feels good to give back for the things I've done in the past."

"It felt good inside to know that I'm doing something for someone else. We were screwing things up before we came here, and now we're getting our lives back on track."

"For me, it's spiritual - it feels so good to do something for someone else. It lifts my spirits and gives me more confidence to continue down the path of sobriety. Feeling good about yourself and being confident in who you are keeps you from using. I'm in the best spot I've been in since I can remember."