Service Opportunities for Youth

Sierra Service Project (SSP)

Through acts of service repairing homes and community centers, Sierra Service Project invites youth into a closer relationship with God and to experience the transformative power of serving people who have a culture and life experience different from their own.  Sierra Service Project offers week-long service projects during the summer for junior high and high school youth groups.  Each summer youth and their adult leaders join together at one of the three SSP sites located in rural and urban communities across the western states.

At SSP, youth are safe to grow in their faith, learn new skills, and make new friends while serving those in need.  Last summer volunteers completed home repair projects and other types of community service.   SSP serves the elderly, disadvantaged, and marginalized.  Our service is offered without strings attached and with respect and humility.

2026 SSP Fundraising

Fundraising is an essential part of the SSP experience. Youth and their families pay tuition to Sierra Service Project, however, the rest of the funding for travel and transportation (rental cars, gas, accommodations, etc.) is paid for with the funds raised throughout the year. As a youth attending SSP with Rolling Hills UMC, you are required to participate in the letter writing campaign, and four additional fundraising events.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) application is due July 15, 2026. The year began July 1, 2025 and ends June 30, 2026. Hours earned within that time frame will count for this year’s reward. There will be an award ceremony in the fall to present the youth with their certificates and pins.

The age category will be based on your age on December 1, 2025. Below are the hours needed to earn the awards:

Teens-age 10-15
50-74 hours (Bronze level)
75-99 hours (Silver level)
100+ hours (Gold level)

Young Adult-age 16-25
100-174 hours (Bronze level)
175-249 hours (Silver level)
250+ hours (Gold level)

All of your verified service hours approved by the PVSA committee count towards the award. For each hour, you will need a certificate, log, or other form of proof that clearly identifies the organization you served, signed by a leader of that organization. Applications for this year’s award are due July 15, 2026. You can turn in your application to Rev. Kristin Sutrave or mail them to the church office.

In the spirit of volunteer service in which this award is founded, volunteer service will be approved when performed to the benefit of the community without requirement or benefit. For example, school-based activities that are required as part of a grade or fundraising activities, or extra-curricular groups or organizations will not be approved. Please submit a pre-approval form for any activity you are not certain of. When submitting an outside service opportunity for pre-approval, please include a detailed explanation of the event and your responsibility in this activity.

Travel time to and from the event should also be included – it counts if it was over 15 miles away! Certain fund-raising activities for service projects may also count (helping with the SSP flower or bake sales, for example).

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rev. Kristin Sutrave, Director of Youth Ministries, at kristin@rhumc.org.

Below are the links for all the PVSA Forms and Logs:

PVSA Rules
PVSA Event Pre-Approval (used for Non-RHUMC service events)
PSVA Community Service Tracking Log