Make a Difference
Volunteer + Discover
Ways to Volunteer:
We have been so fortunate to receive the dedicated efforts of 76 university and high school students and parents who have sacrificed their vacations to work with students, teachers, and families at our school. We’re also very grateful for the five Girl Scouts who earned three Gold Awards, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, and two Silver Awards by choosing to develop and administer innovative programs for our students.
Note: We have begun tentative planning for our next volunteer trip during Presidents’ Week vacation, February 15-23, 2025 with possible extensions if students can be granted extra days for independent study by their teachers. The trip will include time to visit other places of interest. As an example, many past volunteer families have chosen to spend a few days exploring the famous temple complex at Angkor Wat near Siem Reap, the largest religious complex in the world. Please contact us at dorisdillonschool@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.
West Valley students’ and advisors’ experiences working with students and village families.
Created by Zac Hopp, 2019 West Valley College Student.
Volunteer Work
Programs/curricula implemented through our volunteer
program include:
Girl Empowerment
Nutrition
CPR, using adult and infant CPR dummies they bought
An organic gardening program to diversify families from single crop dependency on rice
Funding and hiring a librarian and establishing a book check-out system
Teaching basic programming with donated educational robots
Designing and painting two outdoor murals and a student-created library mural
Teaching girls’ health and establishing a reusable maxi-pad system for girls
Teaching engineering fundamentals using Goldiblox which they purchased
Using RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers) hands-on science activity kits to teach scientific principles
Using Foldscopes, inexpensive microscopes which they purchased, to teach hands-on biology lessons
Starting an anti-smoking campaign and Implementing a family-needs survey by traveling to homes to conduct interviews
Using storyboarding to enhance self-awareness and self-esteem
Building water collection systems for families
Clearing land with families for family vegetable/fruit gardens
Girl Scouts Gold and Silver Awards
Girl Scouts earn the Silver Award by researching an issue, making a plan to address it, and then taking action to improve communities by their efforts.
The Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts earn it by developing and carrying out lasting solutions to issues in their neighborhoods and beyond. As the official Girl Scouts website states: “Gold Award Girl Scouts truly are the world changers, rock stars, role models, and real-life heroes we all look up to.”
Leland High School, San Jose: February 2019 Student and Parent Volunteer Work
Inspired by their friends’ and classmates’ volunteer work (and stories!), during Presidents’ Week vacation, a group of seniors and their parents funded their own travel and developed their own projects from English tutoring, menstrual health, group landscape painting to hands-on science and health lessons. Click on the button below to read about and view their work:
West Valley College, Saratoga, CA: January 2019 Society of Global Citizens Volunteer Work
During West Valley College, Saratoga’s Winter vacation break, 13 students and 3 advisors developed and implemented 13 different projects ranging from installing water collection systems and family gardens, teaching preschool English lessons, and creating a digital library of educational resources, to practicing hands-on first aid. West Valley student Zac Hopp was the group’s videographer.
Leland High School, San Jose: February 2018 Student and Parent Volunteer Work
During Presidents’ Week vacation break, Leland High School students and their parents traveled at their own expense to work on projects ranging from robotics, CPR training, mural painting, ukulule lessons to girl empowerment.