Local Student Starts Nonprofit Online Resource

For her Senior Project, Ross School senior Sarah Jannetti, a Sag Harbor native, recently started the nonprofit CharityLegs, an online resource connecting high school student volunteers with charitable organizations.

Ross School, along with many other high schools on the East End and across the country, require students to complete a certain number of community service hours before graduation.

Ross students must volunteer 15 hours per year, for a total of 60 hours, as a graduation requirement.

So in order to help the students find an organization to volunteer for, Jannetti created the website which allows charitable organizations post information about their events or initiatives, along with the number of volunteers needed.

Students can visit the website and click on “browse opportunities” to sign up for a service that works for them.

Jannetti says the website has been working well.

“Many students want to volunteer their help, but it can be difficult to find meaningful opportunities that will work with a busy school schedule,“ she said. “Charities who proactively recruit volunteers often prepare to be shorthanded, because people will drop out at the last minute. This way works for everyone from the start.”

Jannetti’s commitment to charitable work is not a new undertaking.

She knew she would one day start a service-oriented company, so she applied for 501(c)3 status two years ago and officially established her nonprofit last year.

“The experience was a great introduction to the business world, because I worked face to face with lawyers and other professionals through the process,” she said.

So far, CharityLegs has already had up to 50 users; and the goal is to increase that number to 200.

The most recent event for which CharityLegs helped to secure volunteers is the Human Resources of the Hamptons Polar Bear Plunge at Coopers Beach in Southampton that took place this past weekend.

Students will also help out at LongHouse Reserve and local food pantries.

“The tasks vary, but the work is always rewarding,” Jannetti said.

“She has an incredibly graceful comportment and approaches her work with careful consideration and extremely high standards,” Jannetti’s Senior Project Mentor and Dean of Cultural History, Carrie Clark, said. “Her work ethic, compassion, commitment, and professionalism make her a real role model for her classmates and a huge credit to her generation. She gives me hope for our future, and it’s been an honor and pleasure to work with her.”

This past August, along with volunteers from Pierson High School, Jannetti volunteered at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) Paddle for Pink benefit

The next priority for CharityLegs is increasing the number of organizations and volunteers using the network.