Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Volunteer Portal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students unveil Hands-On Sumner volunteer portal to connect peers with local nonprofits
Summary
A Sumner County student leadership team previewed 'Hands-On Sumner,' a Hands-On Nashville-built volunteer website designed to help students find, sign up for and track community service hours; board members praised the project and asked for follow-up participation data.
A group of Sumner County high school students on Tuesday introduced Hands-On Sumner, a student-designed volunteer portal being built with Hands-On Nashville that organizers say will make it easier for teenagers to find, sign up for and track community service opportunities across the county.
"Imagine if every student in Sumner County believed that they could make a difference, not just someday, but right now," said Hannah Lao, a junior at Liberty Creek High School, as she outlined the website's purpose and rollout timetable. The students told the board the site is expected to be ready by midsummer.
The site demo showed a searchable calendar, an advanced search by zip code and travel distance, and student accounts that record both "verified" and "unverified" service hours. Presenters said addresses for nonprofit sites will be protected and shared only after a student signs up, and that some activities (for example, blood-donor check-ins) will require background checks before a student can confirm participation.
"One of the key parts of our mission is making service more accessible," Kelsey Petty of Portland High School said. Students demonstrated how the calendar view and filters would help busy students find short, nearby options for hours required by clubs and scholarships.
Board members asked whether partner organizations would be limited to Sumner County and how hours would be verified. The students replied that agencies could be inside or outside the county, that nonprofits would have the option to verify hours on their end, and that the platform is intended primarily for students but will be open to adults as well.
The students also addressed court-ordered service: presenters said some opportunities can accept service tied to court orders but noted age limits and safety concerns; many court-ordered placements require participants to be 18 and nonprofits may opt out of accepting court-ordered volunteers for specific events.
Board members praised the project and asked the team to report back a year from launch with participation metrics. "Great job," one board member said; another suggested the site could be trialed over the summer and refined before full rollout to schools in the fall.
The student leadership team asked for community help in spreading the word and gathering nonprofit partners as the site completes customization with Hands-On Nashville ahead of the planned midsummer launch.
