Service Outreach Opportunities

Please continue to turn to the most compelling areas of need to perform your service stewardship.  Thank you for supporting your class service projects with enthusiasm and compassion. Should you desire to pursue an outreach project with an agency not listed, you may also consult the list of service agencies available by clicking here.  By working with diligence and interest on your service, you should find yourself achieving about  four hours of service each month.  The balance of 2009 provides rich opportunities to direct helpful hands and hearts to aid our community needs.

       Service Reflection
       They say it takes a minute to serve a special person,
       An hour to appreciate them,
       A day to love them,
       But then an entire life to forget them.

May your Cathedral service personally enrich you and your spirituality, as we seek to address challenges faced by our brothers and sisters in our immediate community and world-wide.

Students may submit hours for the 2010-2011 year for service completed after April 23, 2010.  Twenty five service hours are due for freshmen, sophomore, and juniors on a current basis as they are performed with a final deadline of March 1, 2011.  Our students current service hours are visible on Power School; simply click the upper right hand button that says service hours when you check grades.  Documentation is normally processed within one week as it is turned in my office. Seniors have 25 service hours as well as the rest of their graduation requirements due on December 1, 2010.  Any questions, please contact Mrs. Halstead at chalstead@cathedral-irish.org or 968 7317. 

Click here for the 2010-11 Service Documentation form and here to print the 2009-10 Service Documentation Form.  Click here for the Service Hour Criteria.

More detailed Information on Service Opportunities ...

• Help in the children's room for families living in transitional housing for sixty to ninety days at Dayspring Center with Cathedral Alumni.  This takes place after school each day until 8 PM and during the summer at summer camps.  These families have lost their homes due to job loss, financial difficulties or other problems.  Be the smiling face of Jesus while you help them during these difficult times in the family life. For more details about Dayspring and this opportunity, click here.   Email Marilyn at Dayspring to let her know your interest.
• Aid Gleaners Food Bank in the packing and sorting of food for senior boxes, backsack preparation and re-distribution of foods to over 400 food distribution agencies.  Click here for more information. This is important support for food pantries during these troubling economic times! New location and address.
• The Junior class is cooking and serving a meal for the clients of the Cathedral Soup Kitchen once a month on Saturday.  This project creates the first serving of Saturday lunches at the Cathedral Soup Kitchen. The next date is Saturday, Sep 11 from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.    The twelve monthly events from October to September have been a wonderful experience for all, the clients and the chefs/servers(@that's us, the juniors).    
• Help Marcos Puente in his invaluable computer training classes from 12:30-2:30 each Saturday.   Clients of Horizon House who have gone through job training are now working on computer skills to improve their job skill set.    You must be Juniors or Seniors and we always travel in groups.  Substantial adult supervision is now in place.  More than eight clients have had success with employment due to this assistance since September this year. Dale has just been awarded a United Way grant for jump drives for the homeless in these computer classes and the Power of Children award from the Indianapolis Children's Museum.  It is wonderful to mention this class to the individuals served at the Wheeler mission meals and the Cathedral Soup Kitchen lunches.  Email Mrs. Halstead of your interest. 
• If you are interested in art, or working with elementary school children, check out this great opportunity to help expand the creative side of disadvantaged children through the Art With A Heart program.  This takes place each day of the week at various schools in Indianapolis from 3:30- 5 PM and during the summer.  These sessions are usually one or two hours long.  Click here for the link for the listing of the Art WithA Heart opportunities by date and by location. volunteer application.  All questions can be directed to Kaitlin Mariutto kmariutto@artwithaheart.us or junior Allison Loew. Questions may also be phoned to 823-9555 (Ask for Art With a Heart).
• In addition, you are invited to help collect/donate soccer equipment for a Cathedral alum in the Peace Corp in Tanzania.  You may contact her mother C. Myers at cemyers@gmail.com about donated shoes, balls or uniforms.  Here is the link to contact Mrs. Marcie Boyer at the NorthSide Soccer office for more information regarding soccer opportunities.   
• Help after school at the Boys and Girls Club in Noblesville by being a tutor and mentor. Contact Jenna Kruse at 773-4372 or email at teenprogramdirector@bgcni.org with questions and interests. http://www.boysandgirlsclubofnoblesville.org/.
• To help Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis, click here (Habitat for Humanity.   Habitat is inviting you to work in their Resale Store.  The address is 1011 E. 22nd Street Indianapolis 46202 T-F 10-6 Sat 9 9-2.   Click here for the volunteer release form.  You do not have to be 16 years or older to work at the home store.  Contact Jessica  at 921 2121 x 114 with your volunteer interest.  (It is located at the intersection of Dr. Andrew J. Brown and 22nd Street by the Monon Trail.). Push the button to enter the gated area if secured. 
• To assist with a special Brookside Community Youth Program at 1035 Olney St.,  Monday thru Thursday, Regina Hoffman invites Cathedral students to come and assist once a week or more often, as you desire, at the youth center.  It needs Cathedral students who want to make a difference in the lives of many youth who are neglected or simply deserve mentoring. Contact Regina Hoffman with questions at 375 0203 or email her at reginh@shepherdcommunity.org.
• If you would like to help at the Cathedral Soup Kitchen on Sundays, click here (7a) for more information about the two Sunday shifts of cooking and serving.
• Every Saturday you may go to Anna's House at 303 Elder Street 46222 to help continue the ministries of Lucious Newsome, THAT ENDLESSLY SERVING GENTLEMAN WHO TAUGHT US SO WELL ABOUT HELPING OUR HUNGRY NEIGHBORS.  Food passout takes place for disadvantaged families from 8:30-11:30 AM. This is the sophomore class service project; all are welcome!
• To pack nutritious food packets with Kids Against Hunger for impoverished third world areas on Saturday, Aug 21, 12-2 PM, click here (9).  Plan to go directly to the Hamilton Country Red Cross, 15325 Herriman Blvd, Noblesville 46060 address at 1 PM for the assembly of food packets. You will be home by 3:30 PM.  Cathedral has been honored as the High School of the Year by Kids Against Hunger for their service work in 2008.    In 2009-10, we assembled more than 72,000 meals, over 10,000 meals were assembled on Sep 9, during the Service Festival and 32,000 meals were assembled on April 12 2010 for Haiti. Assemblies for the last six months of 2009 totaling 33 pallets of foods were shipped to Cap Haitien arriving 1 day before the earthquake hit. Please see Kylie Thorpe, Alyssa O'Malia, Ashley Mills or Kaitlin Kempf with questions about Kids Against Hunger.
• If you would like to volunteer with the Hamilton County Humane Society, click here for training and volunteer opportunities.  Check with the Humane Society at the above noted number.
• The Sophomore Class prepares and serves monthly Spaghetti dinners all year long on Wednesdays at Anna's house for the second year.  Our dinners for the past year have been a great success. The next date is Wed, July 28. Students from Mrs. Egan's classes are also collecting items for teenagers and reading Spanish stories to the children of hispanic families.  E-mail Mrs. Halstead about your interest on this project. Sophomore parents are also invited to help on this project as well. Sophomore class project. 
• To help re-package bulk foods and help in the client choice food pantry, go to the St. Vincent De Paul Pratt-Quigley food pantry which is close by at 30th and Keystone on Wednesdays from 4:30-7PM. Otherwise, on Thursday from 8:30-12 or 4:30-7PM, Friday mornings from 8:30-12, or on Saturday from 9-12 PM. your help is needing assisting customers to shop, stock shelves or provide intake assistance on new clients.   President Pat Jerrell suggests we direct donations from our own cupboards to St. Vincent De Paul through our parish work schedule.  Also,  go to the St. Vincent De Paul warehouse downtown on Saturdays to help with warehouse goods for the disadvantaged.  For information about the warehouse, click here (St. Vincent de Paul). You may also work during your parish work day; click here for the warehouse schedule. This is a good service opportunity to assist families with start-up problems, employment interruption or financial difficulties. St. Vincent De Paul is an organization with 100% volunteer assistance; there is no paid staff. Click here for the Parish Schedule.
• To read for WFYI and provide services for sight and disability impaired individuals, you would be providing an invaluable source of information and connectivity.  All it requires is your melodic voice.  Click here for more details. 
• If you would like to help children of divorce learn to cope with divorce,  you can assist with the New Day Program at Second Presbyterian 2x per month on Tuesday evenings during the summer.  Click here for more details.  A training program takes place twice or three times a year. Six Cathedral students are involved enthusiastically in this program this year and truly recommend it to others. Contact Gabriel Gonzelez with questions. 
• If you would like to help outreach programs for the homeless with accompanying adults, this program provides meals, clothing, and hygiene needs in outreach programs twice a week.  The ministry, Tear Down the Walls, is located at 1253 East Street, and meets first at the main entrance of the noted address.  They will then distribute dinner lunch bags or clothing.  On Wednesday, it takes place from 6:30-9:30 PM and on Saturdays from 2:30-5:30 PM.   Please contact Brian Walls at 457-8974 one week in advance to schedule your assistance. Their web link is TDWM.org.    
• Help assist the Catholic Charities Christmas Store on Wednesdays during the spring.  Contact Mrs. Irene Snyder ahead of time to confirm your volunteer date.  You mail email  Irene Snyder [iupt75@yahoo.com] or 374 8640.  They are working now to be ready for next year's responsibility to provide Christmas for 750 disadvantaged families.  This is a wonderful opportunity to serve with other classmates in the Freshmen Class Service Project.   Assistance may continue over the summer on Wednesdays.  Contact Mrs. Snyder to set it up during the summer.
• To assist with the Easter's Seals Friday night Parents' Night Out once a month , contact Anna Maria, 466-2006.  The program assists families of special needs children.  On the first Friday of each month, it is held on the south side at Indian Creek Christian Church, on the 2nd Friday on the east side at Easter Seals Crossroads, on the 3rd Friday on the north side in Fishers, and on the 4th Friday on the west side at Speedway United Methodist.  Choose the location closest to you and help out once a month from 6-10 PM.    Their website is http://www.eastersealscrossroads.org/.  This is a good outreach if you are interested in working in special education, learning about special needs or helping special spirited young people.   They are also sponsoring several camps during the summer.