Volunteer Service Award - The Episcopal School of Dallas | Best Private Schools in Dallas

The Service to Others Award recognizes students who have shown a commitment to acquiring a deeper understanding of one of ESD’s 5 issue areas of service. It values their understanding of root causes, developing interests, direct engagement, and commitment to one community issue. There is no limit to the number of recipients for this award category. 

Award Requirements:

Students must submit a portfolio demonstrating they have met the following requirements:

• A service resume demonstrating 75 direct service hours each year addressing one of the 5 issue areas of focus - hunger, housing, health, environmental sustainability, or education. All 75 hours do not have to come from the same organization. 
• A letter of recommendation from one of the organizations listed in the portfolio. 
• Submit a reflective essay of at least 250 words detailing potential root causes to the issue, the impact of their service on the community, and the impact on your personal growth. Additionally, how does this volunteer experience relate to their academic interests, career aspirations, and/or extracurricular activities? 

How It Works:

Students would be recognized for:

• Identifying a Specific, Systemic Problem: The student(s) researched and understood an issue beyond immediate symptoms (e.g., not just hunger, but food deserts or lack of access to healthy food), detailing what they’ve learned and how community organizations are working to address the issue. 
• Direct Service: Students engage directly with the benefiting organization and its clients. This means students are not completing any of the 75-hour minimum through indirect service (i.e., drives, purchasing items, making things at home, etc.
• Consistent Commitment: Demonstrates a consistent commitment of service over 12 months. Students must show they’ve performed service every quarter or every three months. This ensures there is no gap in service of more than 3 months.

The Faith in Action Leader Award recognizes students who exemplify leadership through their service experience. It values their personal growth, the new skills they acquire, and their leadership qualities. There is a maximum of 10 awards given in this category.

Award Requirements:

Students must submit a portfolio demonstrating they have met the following requirements: 

• A service resume demonstrating 75 service hours each year serving nonprofit organizations. All 75 hours do not have to come from the same organization. 
• A letter of recommendation from one of the organizations listed in the portfolio highlighting their leadership, problem-solving, communication skills, or initiative. 
• Submit a reflective essay of at least 250 words outlining how their service helped them build specific leadership skills and their impact on your personal growth. Additionally, how does this volunteer experience relate to their academic interests, career aspirations, and/or extracurricular activities? 

How It Works:

Students would be recognized for the following characteristics:

• Connecting with Individuals: Building meaningful relationships with those they serve, showing genuine care, and making people feel valued.
• Skill Development: Students could write reflections on how their service helped them build specific skills (e.g., public speaking, organization through coordinating volunteers, empathy through working with diverse populations).
• Leadership Roles: Recognition for taking on leadership positions within a service project or organization (e.g., leading a team, organizing an event, mentoring younger volunteers).
• Consistent Commitment: Demonstrates a consistent commitment of service over 12 months. Students must show they’ve performed service every quarter or every three months. This ensures there is no gap in service of more than 3 months.
• Team Project Success: Where applicable - recognize a group of students for the successful execution of a significant community service project that required strong collaboration.

The Voice for Change Award recognizes students who educate, advocate for, and mobilize others around a particular social, environmental, or community issue. It values their ability to research, communicate, and inspire action in others, fostering a broader impact. There is a maximum of 5 awards given in this category.

Award Requirements:

Students must submit a portfolio demonstrating they have met the following requirements:

• A service resume demonstrating at least 100 hours that specifically targets their project in connection with a nonprofit organization or issue area.
• A letter of recommendation from one of the organizations listed in the portfolio. 
• Submit a reflective essay of at least 250 words outlining project specifics or the initiative they undertook. This submission highlights the problem addressed, the actions taken, the call to action, any policy connections, skill development, and the intended community impact. 

How It Works:

Students would be recognized for:

• Research and Education: Deeply researching a community issue (e.g., education equity, housing instability, climate change, etc.) and effectively educating their peers, school, or broader community through presentations, workshops, or informational materials. Students are encouraged to collaborate with experts in the field to help educate the community. 
• Advocacy and Outreach: Organizing or participating in advocacy/outreach campaigns, petitions, or public forums to raise awareness and advocate for policy changes or increased resources related to a cause.
• Creative Communication: Utilizing various media (e.g., social media campaigns, short films, art installations, school newspaper articles) to effectively communicate the importance of an issue and call for engagement.
• Mobilizing Peers: Successfully inspiring and organizing other students to get involved in a related cause or service initiative.
• Consistent Commitment: Demonstrates a consistent commitment of service over 12 months. Students must show they’ve performed service every quarter or every three months. This ensures there is no gap in service of more than 3 months.

The Rising Leaders in Philanthropy and Stewardship Award recognizes students who have demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of a community need and taken strategic action to address it, including allocating funds for charitable giving. There is a maximum of 5 awards given in this category.

Award Requirements:

Students must submit a portfolio demonstrating they have met the following requirements:

• A service resume demonstrating at least 100 hours that specifically target the project and service for one organization. 
• A letter of recommendation from the benefiting organization. 
• Submit a reflective essay of at least 250 words detailing a specific project or initiative they undertook. This submission would highlight the problem addressed, actions taken, tangible outcomes, the intended qualitative impact of the project/donation, and the learning and growth that resulted.

How It Works:

This award would be given to students who:

• Identified a Specific, Systemic Problem: Students thoroughly researched and understood a deeper issue beyond immediate symptoms (e.g., not just hunger, but food deserts or lack of access to healthy food).
• Strategic Action Plan: Developed a clear plan that outlined how they would address the problem, including setting goals, identifying resources needed, and planning for successful implementation. 
• Resource Mobilization: This could involve fundraising or in-kind donations. 
• Partnerships and Collaboration: Collaborated with local non-profits, businesses, or community leaders to amplify their impact.
• Consistent Commitment: Demonstrates a consistent commitment of service over 12 months. Students must show they’ve performed service every quarter or every three months. This ensures there is no gap in service of more than 3 months.

The Innovator of Service Award recognizes students who go above and beyond the expected, demonstrate exceptional creativity, and implement an independent service project to address a community need in an imaginative way. It encourages entrepreneurial thinking, a deep commitment, and a sense of purpose. There is a maximum of 3 awards given in this category.

Award Requirements:

Students must submit a portfolio demonstrating they have met the following requirements:

• A service resume of at least 100 hours that specifically targets their project supporting a nonprofit organization. 
• A letter of recommendation from the benefiting organization and a letter of recommendation from an ESD faculty or staff person. 
• Submit a reflective essay of at least 250 words detailing a specific project or initiative they undertook. This submission should also highlight imagination and creative problem-solving, critical thinking, tangible outcomes, qualitative impact, and personal growth. 

How It Works:

This award would be given to students who:

• Initiate Their Own Service Project: They identify a need and create a solution by finding a new or more effective way to address a community issue.
• Demonstrate Exceptional Dedication: They might overcome significant obstacles, work on a particularly challenging project, or show extraordinary commitment to a cause.
• Culturally Responsive Service: Demonstrating cultural humility and respect of the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the people served. 
• Long-term Vision: Demonstrated thinking about how their project could have a lasting effect beyond their immediate involvement (e.g., creating a sustainable program, establishing a permanent resource, or inspiring ongoing community involvement).
• Consistent Commitment: Demonstrates a consistent commitment of service over 12 months. Students must show they’ve performed service every quarter or every three months. This ensures there is no gap in service of more than 3 months.

The Legacy of Service Award recognizes students who have a clear dedication and overarching commitment to one organization over time. It celebrates their impact, growth, and alignment with purpose. There is a maximum of 3 awards given in this category.

Award Requirements:

Students must submit a portfolio demonstrating they have met the following requirements:

• A service resume demonstrating at least a 2+ year commitment to one organization with a record of at least 150+ hours.
• A letter of recommendation from the benefitting organization and a letter of recommendation from an ESD faculty or staff person. 
• Submit a reflective essay of at least 250 words detailing personal and leadership development. This submission would highlight the organization's structure and its partnerships over the years, the sustained impact of its involvement, any challenges encountered, connections to future goals, and personal growth. 

How It Works:

This award would be given to students who:

• Years of Service: Recognize students for volunteering with the same organization or for the same cause for multiple years (e.g., 2+ years, 3+ years). This highlights their consistent commitment without any large gaps in service.
• Consistent Participation: Acknowledge students who, despite accumulating a high number of hours, demonstrate regular attendance and support of organization events, meetings, or recurring duties.
• Deepening Involvement: Celebrate students who move from basic tasks to taking on more responsibility, demonstrating growth within their chosen service org due to their sustained presence (e.g., starting as a general volunteer and progressing to a team leader or initiating additional projects to amplify impact).

The ESD service award program goes beyond minimum service hours and encourages students to focus on more personalized, structured service experiences. The awards better align with our school’s mission, ESDistinction, and Community Service Learning Program values. The ESD service awards also have no restrictions on political engagement and religious activities.

The ESD service award program goes beyond minimum service hours and encourages students to focus on more personalized, structured service experiences. The awards better align with our school’s mission, ESDistinction, and Community Service Learning Program values. The ESD service awards also have no restrictions on political engagement and religious activities.

All application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted by the April 1 deadline. All service hours related to the portfolio must be submitted and approved in MobileServe prior to submitting your application portfolio. 

Yes. During the application process, students will be asked to identify the primary award their portfolio best applies to. There will be an opportunity on the application to indicate whether a student is interested in submitting their portfolio for other awards.

Yes, students can win the same award the following year. However, we encourage students to consider their growth in their reflective essay. 

A service-learning award portfolio should be a curated collection of materials that demonstrate your engagement, learning, and impact throughout a service experience. This is more than a proof of hours; it is a narrative that connects your service activities to your academic growth and personal development.

MobileServe has a feature to print or download a list of your service hours based on a specific category and within a specific timeframe. This feature helps show you proof that you have met the minimum hour requirement for each award.

The awards program is only offered to upper school students.