Many people think of community service as volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, but there are so many other options.  You can work with elderly people, kids, politicians, disabled people and many others.  Participating in a community service activity is supposed to be fun and valuable both for you and the people or organization you are servicing.  If you pick a particular type of community service that is of little interest to you, and you think of it is work, the experience will be bad for both you and them.  So it is important to pick and activity or program that interests you in a field or area that is exciting to you.  Here is a list of a few of the more popular types of community service opportunities, and common activities or programs that fit into each category. 
 
TUTORING
Tutoring can be a great way to work with kids, and contribute to a school.  Tutoring is the act of assisting children who require extra help in school with class or homework assignments, usually on a one-on-one basis.  There are many kids out there who learn differently than others, children with dyslexia or ADD, heck you may even be one of them!  Many schools can’t accommodate all their special needs, and don’t have the resources to give them much of the individual instruction and assistance they may need.  As a tutor, you can help the school, you can help kids who need you, and you can get the chance to work with kids!

COACHING
Coaching is another wonderful way to give back to your community, and get a chance to play sports and work with kids!  There are a number of volunteer coaching positions out there, if you look hard enough, and the service you provide as a coach is invaluable.  As a coach, you are responsible for a group of kids, and therefore a childcare agent, allowing busy parents a more flexible schedule.  You are also providing many kids with the amazing experience of being part of a team, and all that comes with it.  Most of all, though, you are having fun with a bunch of kids!

FUNDRAISING
Obviously directed at an older crowd of kids, fundraising can be an important learning experience.  You can help a school or community organization in a variety of different ways in their quest to get the money they so desperately need.  You can also be a political fund-raiser, working with a politician to help raise funds for a campaign.  Fundraising will often involve phone calls, door-to-door, community work, or specific client based relations.  More than almost any other volunteer activity, fundraising can provide you with credible, sound and valuable work skills and experiences.  No matter what career path you choose, your skills as a fund-raiser can always be used in some positive way. 

HOMELESS SHELTER/SOUP KITCHEN
Probably one of the most common forms of community service, working in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, can be the most direct way to see the results of your assistance.  Volunteering here usually includes some cooking and cleaning, handing out of food, or other social assistance in a shelter.  You will literally be dealing directly with homeless people, and other extremely needy people who only survive because of people like you.  You will see them smile as you give them a bed, or hand them a hot plate of food.  The experience can be an intense one, and while the rewards are countless, it can often be difficult to see the full extent of poverty.

NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES
There are a variety of neighborhood services available that include activities such as neighborhood watch and trash clean up. Volunteering in your own neighborhood can be a great way to give back to an area that directly affects you.  Also, it can be a convenient way to participate in community service. Big Brother Big Sister or the Boys and Girls Club are national organizations that you may find in your neighborhood.

HEALTH/NURSING HOME
This is a somewhat broad topic, but help is always needed in community hospitals or health centers as well as nursing homes.  Volunteering in a place like this would include running specific errands as well as dealing directly with patients.  You might read to a patient, or simply spending time with someone who may be lonely.  This is a very rewarding form of community service, as you will make personal connections with individuals.  Working in a nursing home can be a very rewarding experience as you will be asked to spend a lot of your time talking, reading or playing games with elderly patients.  For those of you that love personal interaction, but aren’t as interested in working with kids, this can be the perfect option!

CHURCH SERVICES
Churches are amazing community service resource centers, and will often have a number of different outreach programs.  They can be a great way to connect through a religious organization, and maybe even through your own church, giving you the chance to work with people you may know and love, which can make the experience much more rewarding and easy.   

Again, these are only a few of the most popular categories of community services, and there are numerous others.  This guide can be a helpful resource to figuring out exactly where you can best fit in the community service network.