academic competitions- useful or not

<p>There are Girl Scout troops volunteering all over the place and the majority of girls are under 16 so I’m sure your D can find places to help if she wants. </p>

<p>Some other ideas - </p>

<ul>
<li><p>Volunteer (as a group preferably) at the local city parks department clearing weeds, painting picnic tables, litter pickup, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>If she has the skills, create a website for a philanthropic organization (my D did this when she was younger than your D for a dog rescue place - it helped place a lot of dogs).</p></li>
<li><p>Collect old kids’ DVDs and donate them to the local Children’s and regular hospitals if those hospitals have DVD players available in the rooms. Sometimes a Children’s hospital will have players to make it a bit nicer for the kids there. Ditto with children’s books.</p></li>
<li><p>Make, organize to make, or collect other items that can be donated to needy causes - blankets, food, personal hygiene products for homeless/shelter people, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>If musically inclined, volunteer to play music or sing for some convalescent homes. </p></li>
<li><p>Collect/refurbish old computers and place them in schools or low-income households. </p></li>
<li><p>Provide free tutoring to kids from low-income households (or anyone really). Do this at a safe place - school, public library, etc.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>As you can see, the sky’s the limit for opportunities for community service even when the volunteer is under 16. No one will care about the age of the donor on donated items. Just think outside the box and don’t wait for a school club-organized activity. She can do many of these on her own.</p>