Community Service Ribbon

[diegoochoaaa]

Hello, I have a few quick questions about the community service ribbon.

1)  What do i need to do to verify the hours?
2)  Would school community service count?
3)  Would helping a parent at their work place count?

Thank you! 

[Holding Pattern]

Hello, I have a few quick questions about the community service ribbon.

1)  What do i need to do to verify the hours?
2)  Would school community service count?
3)  Would helping a parent at their work place count?

Thank you! 

As always, the best place to start with these questions is the regulations. Your commander is a good second place once you have examined the regulations if the regulations seem difficult to understand.

The reg in question here is CAPR 39-3.

Section F, part 18 and 19 have the first part...

SECTION F - ACTIVITY AND SERVICE RIBBONS
18. Authority to Award Ribbons.
a. Region commanders award activity and service ribbons to members of the region staff and
members of the region headquarters.
b. Wing commanders award activity and service ribbons to members of their staffs and to
members of units within their wings. Authority to award these activity and service ribbons may be
delegated to group and squadron commanders at the discretion of the wing commander.
19. Administration Procedures for Award of Activity and Service Ribbons. The individual
member is responsible for preparing and submitting to the unit commander CAP Form 2a, Request
for and Approval of Personnel Actions, when the requirements for an activity or service ribbon have
been completed. The CAP Form 2a is then forwarded by the unit commander to the appropriate
approving authority. (If the unit commander has been delegated approving authority by the wing
commander as outlined in paragraph 18b, the unit commander simply approves the form and returns
it to the recipient for placement in the member's personnel file.) Upon approval, activity and service
ribbons are purchased by the awarding unit or by the individual recipient, as appropriate.

And section 20, part I has the specifics for the ribbon in question.

i. Community Service Ribbon. Awarded to members who complete 60 hours of
community service outside of Civil Air Patrol. The service must be verified by a volunteer
coordinator. Community service projects conducted by CAP units do not qualify for this recognition.
A bronze clasp may be added for each additional 60 hours of community service.

So in answer to your first bullet point, a volunteer coordinator needs to log the hours. In answer to your second question, if it is voluntary service that can be verified by a volunteer coordinator, then it can qualify. The approving authority (check with your commander) can make a further determination for you; you should not provide more specific details here. In answer to your third question, unless your parents work for a community oriented organization (and the quick answer to that is to find out if they work for a 501c3 organization) the answer is probably no. But again, explain the particulars to your commander to see if there is any reason it could qualify. I would suggest not using your family as the volunteer coordinator verifier, even if that is their job.

CAP custhelp also has a good article defining what should qualify as community service:
http://capnhq.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1431/~/activities-that-qualify-for-community-service-credit

[Eclipse]

1)  What do i need to do to verify the hours?

A letter or letters from third party(s) which verify the hours.

2)  Would school community service count?

Depends on your commander - discuss first.

3)  Would helping a parent at their work place count?

See #2 above, however in most cases, private employment is not considered "community service" - even
if you work for free.  If by circumstance your parent's employer is a community service organization, then
the substantiation should come from someone other then your parent.

As an example, we had a CC a while back who asserted that cadets assisting his personal financial services business
was "community service". I suppose if he were providing those services pro bone the argument could be made, but
this was simply the CC's job, for whihc normal fees were charged.

[Holding Pattern]

Oh, and welcome to the forums.

[diegoochoaaa]

Thank you for the info and for welcoming me.

I will be sure to ask someone when I can.