The Christian Service Program at Brother Martin High School aims to inspire members of the Brother Martin community to embody the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the principles of Catholic social teaching, and the charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart through experiences of and critical reflection on direct service to people who are underserved in our world. The program seeks to help students begin to reflect on the complexity of our world’s social issues and their responsibility in using their unique gifts and talents for the promotion of social justice and the common good. It hopes to instill in its participants a lifelong commitment to service and courageous advocacy for justice through the development of the virtues of solidarity, charity, and justice as modeled in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. 

SERVICE CRITERIA: 

• At each grade level, students are required to complete a set minimum number of hours of service (see below). 
• FOCUS ISSUE HOURS: At least half of a student’s required service hours must be performed at an agency that addresses the social issue designated as the focus for the student’s grade level. Preapproved service placements for each grade level are provided on the preapproved service placement lists posted on the Christian Service Program page of the Brother Martin website. If a student wishes to volunteer with an event or agency that is not on the grade level preapproved service placement lists, the student must receive written approval of the alternative service from their Religion teacher or Mr. McCabe prior to volunteering. Failure to obtain written approval may result in a student’s hours not being accepted.
• GENERAL HOURS: The other half of a student’s required service hours may be performed at almost any non-profit organization. Preapproved organizations and opportunities can be found on the General Preapproved Service Placements list. Please note: In order for the hours to be accepted, the service must involve volunteering with a non-profit organization, such as Catholic Charities, local schools, church parishes, food banks, etc. Volunteer work done with a Brother Martin team, club, or camp can be used to fulfill this half of the service requirement. If you are unsure of whether your placement meets these criteria, please speak with your Religion teacher or Mr. McCabe for written approval prior to volunteering. Failure to obtain written approval may result in a student’s hours not being accepted.

SERVICE VALIDATION AND DEADLINES:

Service hours must be fully confirmed and validated through Helper Helper by Friday, March 21, 2025 (early turn-in for 4th quarter Religion exam exemption eligibility by Friday, January 31st). To be accepted, a student’s service hours must be both:

1. Confirmed in Helper Helper by the coordinating representative of the service organization
2. Validated in Helper Helper by his Religion teacher or Brother Martin’s service coordinator 

All service hours need to be submitted, confirmed, and validated through Helper Helper. No physical documentation of service will be accepted. Simply having submitted a past service commitment for confirmation does not mean those hours have been fully accepted. It is the student’s responsibility to collect and input the correct contact information and to follow up with the service organization’s coordinator or supervisor to ensure they confirm his volunteer hours by the deadlines. Students will not receive an extension of the deadlines if they fail to collect or input the correct contact information or if the service organization’s supervisor does not confirm their hours by the deadline. For this reason, it is highly recommended that students complete their service promptly and submit their hours in Helper Helper for confirmation and validation as soon as possible. 

Students who do not complete the required minimums and have them both confirmed and validated on Helper Helper by the due date will receive an Incomplete (I) for their 3rd quarter Religion grade and will not be exempt from any of their 4th quarter final exams. As per the Brother Martin student handbook, if a student has an Incomplete in the 3rd quarter, he is also not eligible for honor roll status or academic letterman. Once the student completes his service and his hours are both confirmed and validated on Helper Helper, the Incomplete on his report card will be changed to his earned 3rd quarter grade, but he will remain ineligible for exemption, honor roll status, and academic letterman. 

Completion of the required service hours is mandated for advancement to the next grade level and for graduation. Thus, students may have to make up their service hours (and additional hours) at Summer Session if they do not complete the required minimums and have them both confirmed and validated on Helper Helper before 4th quarter exams. Seniors may not receive their Brother Martin diplomas until they meet these criteria.

PLEASE NOTE: 

• If a student misses an academic school day to complete service hours, he will be marked for an unexcused absence and the service hours will not be accepted.
• It is the responsibility of each student to contact possible service placements himself. In the continual effort to develop personal responsibility, the student should be the one organizing his service experience, not his parent/guardian. If he requires assistance or has questions, he can speak with his Religion teacher or the Christian Service Program Coordinator.

TRACKING AND VERIFYING SERVICE HOURS WITH HELPER HELPER:

Helper Helper offers a simple and convenient way to track and verify service hours. Students will access their Helper Helper account online or through the mobile app by going to app.helperhelper.com and logging in with their Brother Martin email address and password. Through this application, students can: 

1. Submit past service commitments for confirmation and validation
2. Sign up for upcoming service opportunities organized by Brother Martin and its community partners
3. View their current progress toward their yearly required minimum

*Click on each grade level for more information