Mandatory Service 101

If you’ve found yourself in need of completing mandatory service hours for graduation or work, by court order, or for any other reason, Hands On Atlanta is ready to help you out! Having posted more than four thousand opportunities that accept court-ordered volunteers this year, we have a simple four step process to help you meet your service requirements. Before we get into detail about those steps, here are some general tips to keep in mind along the way:

• Get started early! It’s easy to get stressed if you have 40 service hours to complete in a week, but remember that if you start earlier you will have a much easier time fitting your requirements into your schedule.

• You can sign up for as many service projects as you are able to attend provided that they aren’t full. We have projects available every week on a variety of days and times giving you lots of options!

• If you need to provide the name of a contact for your mandatory hours, we recommend that you choose one organization to serve all of your hours with. It will make it easy to provide the information for your main point of contact there instead of providing a point of contact for several different organizations.

With those tips in mind, let’s get into all the details of how to meet your mandatory service requirements.

1. Find a project: The easiest way to start finding service projects is to search our opportunity calendar. There you can search by date, impact area, location and more! Make sure to set the filters by date and geographic range that work for you, and keep the filter for court ordered volunteers to ensure that all the opportunities you see are right for you.

   Please note that if you try to sign up for a project that requires a background check, you may not be approved based on your offense. Please avoid selecting projects require background checks, as if you do not pass, you will not be eligible for any Hands On Atlanta projects at all.

2. Serve: You’re now ready to get out and serve the ATL community! There are a few things to keep in mind.

   • First, remember to double check that you’re arriving for your project at the right date and time that you registered for. Many opportunities have multiple time slots, and we want to make sure you’re here for the right one!

   • Also, remember to sign in for the project so there is a record of your attendance. Verifying your hours is the only way to get a service letter confirming your mandatory service, but we’ll talk more about this in step four.

   • The last thing to do when serving is to have fun! Take advantage of the opportunity to do something good, meet other people and gain a better understanding of challenges facing our community.

3. Download Your Own Letter: After completing all your hours, your letter will be available for download in your account - it’ll be listed as your Certificate. Simply log in to your account on the volunteer portal, then select My Opportunities. From there, select Certificate and History on the left side, and click Download Certificate. The file will save to your device as a PDF, and you can print or share it with anyone you need to. Find more detailed instructions here.

• On your Certificate, you will only see your verified hours of service. We understand that it can be frustrating to wait on these to come through, especially if you need them quickly. Please know that it typically takes between 5 and 7 business days for volunteer hours to be verified. If your hours are not verified within that time frame, please reach out to the organization directly. Hands On Atlanta cannot verify your hours for projects we don’t manage. If that doesn’t work either, then please reach out to Hands On Atlanta, and we will message the organization directly about getting hours verified.

• We know that sometimes a custom letter with a wet ink signature will be asked of you, but unfortunately we do not provide those. However, if you would like to have the person requesting a mailed letter to explain our current regulations, you have them contact us at info@handsonatlanta.org.

Ready to get started?

Introducing the 2021 class of hands on atlanta civic fellows

We’re so excited to introduce to you our 12th class of the Civic Leadership Program! Our Civic Leadership Program, powered by Constellation combines positive community impact with personal and professional development to provide great things for everyone involved -- and we have found some amazing changemakers in Atlanta to make that happen.

It’s been a tough year all things considered, but we are proud to introduce 13 fantastic Civic Fellows who are ready to help the Atlanta community get through all those challenges and changes.

This year, our Civic Fellows are helping with our Disco Program which was made to help elementary school students feel a little more connected to people right now. It provides game style learning to keep them engaged and a little less isolated. With some help from the Hands On Atlanta staff, Civic Fellows will help bring really important academic enrichment to around 300 students in Atlanta.

“I’m really proud that we were able to transition CLP into a virtual model keeping our fellows safe while also meeting the pressing needs of the students through our beloved Disco Program. While this year has been challenging in so many ways our Civic Fellows give me hope that we will come out the other side stronger, better, and more aware of the inequities plaguing our community and how to address them. ”

— Elaine Hudson, Associate Director of Nonprofit Services

“Especially with this isolation piece, this ever changing system for the students, being able to see that familiar face of those adults that are willing to invest in you and support you and show you that learning can definitely be fun. That involvement from CLP members is very, very important.””

— Tasia Limonius, Senior Education Programs Coordinator

On top of the incredibly important impact our fellows will have on those students, they also get to learn more about the critical role nonprofits play in the Atlanta community, understand how fundraising keeps nonprofits sustainable, and explore their leadership skills through hands-on learning. This combination will create a class of Civic Fellows prepared to graduate into Civic Leaders who can keep making Atlanta a better place.

“I wanted to take the next step and dive into some things that not only I could do, but I could also inspire my friend circle or professionals that I work with on how we can take some action steps to do what we all talk about: to make the world better.” ”

— Jyll Walsh, Civic Fellow

“I’m really one who believes that quote that service is the rent we pay for our time here on earth. For me the impact I have is just to bring that service to life. .... I don’t have to be loudest voice in the room, but if I just have a seat at the table, I plan to use that to influence and add value to the communities we serve” ”

— Aisha Harrison, Civic Fellow

So, it is with great honor that we ask you to help us welcome the newest class of Hands On Atlanta Civic Fellows!

---

Anissa H. Meachum

Anissa H. Meachum is a litigation manager for Porsche Cars North America. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Fordham University. She earned her M.B.A with a concentration in International Business and Finance from Argosy University. Now, she is involved in the Porsche Care Network America program and engaged in volunteer work at Hapeville Elementary School, Meals on Wheels, and CURE Childhood Cancer.

Eula Lewis-Spivey

Eula Lewis-Spivey has continuous leadership and service as an educator for DeKalb County School District in Stone Mountain, Georgia as an ESOL Educator. She is a fervent leader that has a proven track record. She has proactively made a difference by disseminating knowledge and educating all she’s encountered in her 30+ years of service within her school district and her community.

Daedrea D. Fenwick

Daedrea D. Fenwick is a civil litigation attorney with Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys in Atlanta, Georgia. When she is not practicing law, Daedrea actively volunteers with several Atlanta area service organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the United Way of Greater Atlanta and the Junior League of Atlanta. She also volunteered for several projects with Hands On Atlanta since graduating from college, and is excited to continue serving as a Civic Leadership Fellow!

Emily Furbish

Emily Furbish is an Atlanta native, currently working as a nurse. She spends most of her free time hiking with her dog, Wally, riding horses, and volunteering with a cancer survivors group and a women empowerment organization. Giving back to the community holds a special part in her heart, and she is excited to work with the Hands On Atlanta Disco Program to help students feel connected and engaged through our virtual learning sessions.

Aisha Harrison

Aisha Harrison currently works as the Talent Development Manager of Southern Company Gas and is a member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, as well as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Her passion for service includes delivering and packing meals with Open Hand, volunteering at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and helping high school students to transition into adulthood by way of organizing college tours and workshops that introduce life skills.

Jenelle Chiang

Jenelle Chiang currently works as a Senior Consultant at Triage Consulting Group, specializing in healthcare revenue cycle management and graduated from Emory University-- serving on the executive board for the Emory Alumnae and Women Network. She’s passionate about photography, healthcare and helping her community. In her free time, she enjoys baking the perfect batch of cookies and dreaming about attending concerts again. 

Keisha Leslie

Keisha Leslie is the Lead Radiation Therapist at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. She has joined many patients in their fight with cancer. Keisha stays active in the community by calling on her work colleagues, family, and friends for support in fundraisers and donations to various organizations in the surrounding areas. On the weekends, you can find Keisha taking a mental break by picking fresh vegetables out of her garden.

Amna Mahmud

Originally from Pakistan, Amna Mahmud is currently a Manager with PwC in their Operations Practice. At PwC she helped establish and currently leads a Diversity and Inclusion Network for 100+ people. Outside of work, Amna serves as the local committee lead for the Professional Chapter of Atlanta for Engineers without Borders. In her spare time, she loves to go hiking with her husband and trying out new vegan recipes. 

Jasmine McKeiver

Originally from Newport News, Virginia, Jasmine McKeiver relocated to Atlanta, Ga in 2012, and one of her first volunteer experiences in Atlanta was with Hands on Atlanta's TeamWorks! Currently, she is a Marketing Manager at Ballard Designs. She is the current 2020-2021 President of the Georgia State University Young Alumni Council and a mentor for the Georgia State University, Robinson College graduate program. Jasmine has a Bachelor of Arts, Journalism degree from Norfolk State University and Master of Science, Marketing degree from Georgia State University.

Heather Patton

Heather Patton is a young professional with years of commitment to community service for many organizations including The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, Mental Health America, and more. She currently works for SCP Health as a marketing and communications advisor. Heather’s ultimate goal is to open her own nonprofit to provide accessible, affordable, evidence-based psychological and lifestyle support to oncology patients, survivors, and caregivers throughout the cancer journey—and educate the community about cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment as well.

Christina Paul

Christina Paul is an internal medicine physician passionate about improving health and wellness. She enjoys broadening her impact by lending time and resources to work with volunteer organizations making a variety of positive community changes.

Joiya Smith

Joiya Smith is originally from a small country town full of big love called Bogalusa, Louisiana. Filled with creative career aspirations, she went to Grambling State University to major in the field of Visual Arts where she concentrated in Graphic Design. In 2018 she relocated to the Atlanta area for better artistic opportunities. Now the 26 year old freelancer spends her time doing what she believes God has called her to do in this season, growing in the arts and being a servant to her community. 

Jyll Walsh

Jyll Walsh works for Prevent Child Abuse Georgia which is housed by Georgia State University where she is also completing her Doctorate in Public Health. She can’t think of a more worthwhile way to spend her time than to help kids learn digitally as barriers to education increase due to the pandemic.  

---

The Hands On Atlanta Civic Leadership Program is powered by:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM A Week OF UNITY

Looking back at the 2020 edition of Hands On Atlanta Week

In a word… wow!

Atlanta, you’ve done it again. You rose to the occasion and answered the call. You battled a global pandemic, racial, political and economic divide, hurricane season, and constant uncertainty to unite in service for Hands On Atlanta Week. Together, 5,000 people came together to do something good at 225 projects and events from 55 nonprofit and community partners during the week of Oct. 3 - 10, 2020!

who you helped

You supported over 50 nonprofits, schools and community organizations doing important work across our communities! Here are just a few.

What you did

With a focus on food insecurity and engaging virtual projects, here’s a snapshot of some of the impact you created throughout the week.

You Fed

• Distributed 35,000 pounds of food to 1500 families

• Packed and distributed over 1,000 meal bags for students and families

You Engaged

• Hosted 48 hours of civic engagement on topics of racial + education equity in America

• Spent time with 60 students in Title 1 schools with the launch of our Disco program

You Worked

• Spread 1 ton of mulch at Piedmont Park

• Ran over 1,000 miles from the northside to the southwest side

You Recognized

• Wrote 600+ cards and letters for seniors, students, teachers and healthcare workers across metro Atlanta

• Watched 4 days of self-producing black theatre companies, artists, and writers

Projects and Events

With 225 projects and events, we can’t recap them all, but there were a few that stuck out and made an impact on the week.

Volunteers from Norfolk Southern came together (virtually) to write and mail over 200 letters to healthcare workers across metro Atlanta!

The Center for Puppetry Arts hosted a puppet show for Dunbar Elementary School's second grade class. The kids learned about two of Aesop's Fables and the show was supported by volunteers from Alston and Bird.

Volunteers from LexisNexis teamed up with Career Village for a virtual Advice Mob, where they answered more than 50 questions on career and college readiness from students in metro Atlanta.

In partnership with the ACLU of Georgia, Hands On Atlanta hosted a poll worker recruitment webinar for employees at OneDigital. Attendees learned how to sign up, but more importantly, why poll workers are in such high demand heading into the election.

In partnership with The Center for Civil and Human Rights, Hands On Atlanta hosted employees from Home Depot to learn more about education inequities locally and nationally.

Volunteers from Chick-fil-a packed and distributed meals to Atlanta families at Action Ministries and Whitefoord Elementary.

Hands On Atlanta staff came together with family and friends to pack meals for students at Brookview Elementary!

SHARE CULTURES

AMIS's Amigo Friendship Program matches an international student with an American individual or family for friendship and sharing of cultures. Your support can help them in their adjustment to American life, language and culture, as well as enrich your understanding of the world. We ask you to meet (virtually) at least once and continue your friendship over the school year as you are able. AMIS offers support throughout the year as needed. This is a wonderful opportunity for singles, couples or families!

MENTOR A REFUGEE YOUTH

The Refugee Youth Mentoring Program pairs a volunteer with a refugee child age 12 to 17 in one-on-one, "big brother/big sister" relationships. Mentors and mentees then meet weekly in the child's home or in the community and spend time together working on homework, exploring the city, or trying new things.

Currently this opportunity entails "meeting" with kids virtually, with the hope to eventually meet in person once it is safe. Most of the refugee families we serve live in Clarkston, Tucker, or Decatur.

Volunteer mentors commit to meeting with their mentee for at least two hours per week for one year.