CONTEST: What Does Community Service Mean to You?

We are so excited to share news of our first essay contest in today’s blog! We have teamed up with our friends at the Patch and are inviting high school students in select communities here in Fairfield County to tell us what community service means to them.

Our website is a free tool that aims to connect volunteers and nonprofits here in Connecticut. Since our site launched two years ago we have been all over the region meeting with volunteers of all ages, interests and abilities. They all impress us with their dedication, passion and spirit.

However, working with teens, we often get to see some of the most amazing volunteer experiences. Many teens are volunteering for the first time and their spirit of giving gets us so excited! 

So here's the contest in a nutshell: Tell us, in 500 words or less, what community volunteering means to you. You've got to be a student, 13 or older, at a public or private high school in one of the following communities:

Greenwich

Stamford

New Canaan

Darien

Westport

Norwalk

Fairfield

Easton

Redding

Wilton

Weston

Bridgeport

We're taking submissions May 6 to 9, and instructions on how to upload will follow. (You can always email your essay to Patch Senior Regional Editor Michael Dinan at michaeld@patch.com with questions)

Here are the Prizes:

• 1st Place: Kindle Fire & $700 cash
• 2nd Place: Chrome Laptop & $450 cash
• 3rd Place: $300 cash

Patch also is placing all participants front and center for you, the community, to decide who wins—more to come on that! For now, start thinking how you'd answer this question: "What Does Community Volunteering Mean to You?"

And remember to sign up at VolunteerSquare.com for our FREE e-alerts. You'll be kept in the loop about local volunteer projects that match your own skills and interests.

[Editor's Note: Any essays received before May 6 will not be entered in the contest.]