A caption under a portrait of Mother St. John Fontbonne, Foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph, reads, "Woman of Heart, Woman of Courage, Woman of Faith." Carondelet students seek to emulate the Foundress in their commitment to service.
It is worth noting that Carondelet High School does not have a community service requirement for graduation. A requirement is not necessary for young women of heart, courage and faith. Well over ninety percent of Carondelet students perform community service from their hearts.
Service Opportunities for CHS Volunteers
A battery of clipboards lines the wall of the counter in the Community Service Office and students may come in and sign up for special events for example the race for the cure to support the Breast Cancer Foundation. There are multiple opportunities for the students to be of service to the dear neighbor after school and on weekends.
- Special Events: These events occur for the most part in the fall and spring. Walk for Life Race for the Cure Light up the Night Memory Walk
- Providing for the needs of children: Working with children is a natural choice of service for Carondelet students. Many work with pre-school children providing that all important extra pair of eyes or arms so necessary for the very young. One on one tutoring to give a child help with homework is also a favorite. One student has initiated a dance program for the children in a low income housing complex. Picture from Madeliene Thibault tutors Picture from Grace Goodwin dance class.
- Providing for the needs of teens who are physically or mentally delayed: The Students who accept this service experience an emotional and spiritual growth spurt. Helping the sometimes severely handicapped teen to perform a simple task such as pushing the right button on a computerized stimulus program can be daunting but rewarding beyond imagination.
- Providing companionship for the elderly: Dementia is a disease that is scary for many people, but Carondelet students learn very quickly that listening to the same story over and over brings joy to those whose daily lives can be rather uneventful. They learn that the gift of youthful energy and sense of humor resonates with the long term memory of the elderly and brings a smile of recognition.
- Providing assistance to the Medical Community: Students who are interested in pursuing a career in the medical field are encouraged by the local medical facilities to join their volunteer programs. Carondelet students line up to obtain one of the coveted but scarce applications available to serve the sick of the community. The annual effort of the medical facilities to provide flu vaccine to the general population relies on Carondelet students to be of assistance with registration, handing stickers and so forth.
- Other Community Service opportunities are available to students through the Campus Ministry Programs of both Carondelet and De La Salle. These opportunities take the students away from their schools and homes. Teachers from both schools and sometimes parents accompany students on these special projects. These projects include traveling to Mexico during Easter break to build houses, traveling to Salinas, CA to work among the migrant farmers for three days and traveling to Occidental to serve as cabin counselors for middle school students for Caritas Creek Environmental Camp.
- Providing manual labor for building projects: Carondelet students offer their services to the De La Salle project, Healing Spaces. With their brothers and friends they scrape, paint and polish the rooms of young people who are facing serious illness. They provide a make over that transforms their space from a drab sick room to a colorful venue for healing. The summer time provides the opportunity of students and their families to contribute time and brawn to Habitat for Humanity.
- Providing assistance as counselor in training at summer camp: Everyone knows that Summertime means Camp Time. No one knows this better than Carondelet students who volunteer at a myriad of camps for young people with various diseases or handicaps. Also the Diocesan Leadership Camp as well as the various Vacation Bible Schools offered by the parishes and churches throughout the county would not be possible without the contributed services of Carondelet students.
- Camp Krem
- Camp Wonder
- Camp De Los Ninos
- John Muir Mountain Day Camp
- Two Sentinels Girl Scout Camp
- 4 H Camp