The Ray

We support youth volunteerism, community service, service-learning, and youth leadership.

Help Learn and Serve Tampa provide youth with the tools, materials, and supplies they need for meaningful community service-learning projects. Bid on gift cards and certificates, event tickets, memorabilia, trips, and more here!

Our newsletter was set to go on September 27, 2025. We are updating it with this special section on hurricane relief volunteer opportunities available through United Way Suncoast and Volunteer Florida. Just so you know, many opportunities are limited to adults, but some welcome youth to attend with a parent/guardian. Also, in reviewing these opportunities, youth may think of great ways to indirectly support or advocate for those impacted by the hurricane. We encourage youth to present these ideas to teachers as service-learning projects. Learn and Serve Tampa can assist you with planning your project! Consider starting a Red Cross Club at your school or join the Hillsborough Explorers Post , Pasco Explorers, Pinellas Cadets. Remember, recovery will be a long process! Consider planning an MLK, Jr. Day of Service Project (see below) for January 2025 or even a Global Youth Service Project in Spring 2025.

For eight decades, UNICEF has been helping kids be safe, healthy, educated, and protected. The United Nations Children's Fund supports projects around the globe and you can help by asking for donations, along with candy, while you Trick-or-Treat this year! To learn more about UNICEF, visit the website. To order boxes and coordinate a fundraiser for Halloween, go here.

We want your help, support, ideas, and outside-the-box thinking to solve some of humanity's hardest issues. A youthful perspective reminds adults there are many ways to approach complex problems. This is a call to serve for youth of all ages.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is approaching. Learn and Serve Tampa will be hosting a regional project open to youth and families in Tampa Bay. Our event will be on Saturday, January 18, 2025. The project and location details will be available in our November newsletter.

We encourage youth, and the adults who work with youth regularly, to answer this call to service by hosting a project for your local community or school. As a Youth Service America Lead Agency and a host for Realize The Dream goal of 100 Million by 100 in 2029, we ask that group leaders let us know about plans (or interest in) proposed projects between January 13-24, 2029, in honor of Dr. King. Groups can begin by reviewing the United Nations 17 Goals for Sustainable Development. We will need projects related Helene and possible future hurricanes as these weather events leave many in need. Service can come in many forms. Become an educated climate change advocate and write to those in positions to make a difference. Take action directly by cleaning public spaces or boxing food for those in need. Indirectly impact veterans, service members, or first responders with cards or care packages. Even researching a topic and sharing verified data can be a service.

Here is a comprehensive list of ideas for community service we found in the Join In blog!.

If you want to serve and don't know how to get started, visit the Youth Resources section on LearnAndServeTampa.Org. Email kverdi@learnandservetampa.org to schedule virtual support.

The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) still has funding available for a Teen Driver Safety project! To apply, go here. To see an example of a project, watch this video created by one high school grant recipient. The project must have one adult leader and at least two youth leaders, and all must agree to attend a virtual session. Funding for the project is available if needed. If you are a teen interested in doing a project but need an adult, reach out, and Learn and Serve Tampa will help you find one!

Youth can support Down Syndrome Awareness Month through advocacy and action. Consider volunteering for a local Special Olympics event or joining a Best Buddies Club at your school. Working with youth and adults with Down syndrome and other exceptional abilities is fulfilling and can become a long-term calling.

There are upcoming events in the Wesley Chapel committee that need volunteers:

Below are the links to sign up:

• https://cerv.is/0197x3037
• Softball Competition at Wiregrass: https://cerv.is/0197x3073
• We are in desperate need at this location
• Softball Competition at Wesley Chapel: https://cerv.is/0197x3074

Learn and Serve Tampa has been notified we will be a Youth Service America Lead Agency again for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service in January 2025 and Global Youth Service Day in April 2025. Look for opportunities to partner with us to provide youth with high-quality community service and service-learning activities!

United Way Suncoast

Volunteer Match

Volunteer Connect

YMCA

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

Feeding America Tampa Bay

Metropolitan Ministries

American Red Cross

The Spring Tampa Bay

Just Serve

City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department

Ronald McDonald House Tampa

Special Olympics

Our organization is here to offer support for teachers and schools who want to teach youth through community service. We offer FREE virtual consultations and seek funding sources to bring youth service-learning experiences to schools. We plan and support the three National Days of Service so youth can join their community in service. Connect with us today.

Of course, the most direct route to supporting our work would be a direct donation through GiveButter!

We need to buy materials and supplies for youth projects, to provide transportation when needed, and general operating funds for insurance, bookkeeping, technology, and more. We hope to expand our capacity to serve and need your support! Have a heart and help us help others!

Our mission at Learn and Serve Tampa Inc, to bring high-quality service-learning instruction to Tampa area K-12 classrooms and schools, is grounded in our core value of youth empowerment. We are building partnerships with teachers and school leaders, other nonprofits, and businesses who agree that we need to listen to our youth and validate their concerns by supporting their service ideas. Service-learning gives youth a voice in solving issues they deem important, building leadership, personal, and social skills while entrenching the content in a real world context. Let's encourage our young people to think critically about real issues and propose solutions! This April-May, give youth time IN SCHOOL to voice their concerns about the future and encourage them to problem solve through service. #youthempowerment #GlobalYouthServiceDay

Student-centered education: Education is a process that needs to be entirely student-centered.

Youth Empowerment: Youth should be empowered to take action on issues that impact the world they are inheriting.

Democratic Thought: Not just what it is, but how you do it. The important role of self-discipline, respect for the rights and beliefs of others, and the process of teamwork and collaboration.

Equity and Equality Matter: An intentional focus on supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion of all human beings.

Healthy Planet, Healthy People: All institutions must adopt and lean into social and environmental sustainability goals.

Service for the Common Good is a Civic Responsibility: Service to others is expected of all. It is not a set of hours to complete. It is a moral imperative to sustaining human civilization. It is a key component to winning in life.