<p>Hi, my D has something like 300 CS hours, but not counted by school. She performs in a play each summer to benefit the local handicapped kids' camp----they've raised $35K so far! The kids put in a ton of hours in rehearsal and performance. She could get a letter from the township rec. supervisor. Would that be enough validation? She also has hours doing things on her own, like recording books on tape for elementary school kids. Who counts those hours, or does she just estimate?</p>
<p>There really are students who count their hours (I personally didn't have one of those in my house, though community service was his passion, and he had amassed hundreds of hours). It is OK, however to estimate. </p>
<p>The students who need to worry about whether this could cause them to be accused of lying are the students who didn't do many hours and now are estimating way on the high side. The dedicated community service students who love commnity service so much that they don't keep a record because that somehow takes the fun out of CS are not ones to worry about being accused of lying. If your D is like my S, even if her estimate looks high to her peers, you know and the various organizations know that she's likely estimated her hours on the low side.</p>
<p>Fortunately, my S's main community service organization, a local museum, keeps track of all volunteer hours. So we asked them and they emailed a spreadsheet showing S's hours for the past 5 years! If only all community service organizations were so organized....</p>