Varsity Team Service Award

The Varsity Team Service Award recognizes and celebrates those Varsity Teams who engaged in significant service activities in the community as a team. Each team is eligible to be recognized at the Gold, Silver, or Bronze level based on their team's engagement and commitment to being men and women with and for others. Criteria for recognition include:

Breadth of Service - the extent to which each member on the team in involved in one or more service activities.
Depth of Service - the extent to which teams committed to cultivating relationships and addressing the needs of a particular organization, deepening the experience over time.
Universality - the extent to which all or most members of the team participate and actively engage.
Longevity - the extent to which the team culture embraces and sustains a commitment to community engagement as a team over time, year after year.

Levels of Recognition: the recognition levels encourage teams to sustain and deepen their culture of service over time. Recognition levels consist of the following::

Gold Medal Teams: Varsity Teams who have a demonstrated record of engaging in community service as a team, who have established a deep and ongoing relationship with an organization and have committed over time to engagement with that group, who have been doing service as part of the team culture over an extended period of time, and can demonstrate coach buy-in and individual team member commitment.

Silver Medal Teams: Varsity Teams who have participated in service as a team and may also have individual members who have participated in service apart from their team. They have shown significant commitment to building relationships with the people they serve and have incorporated meaningful reflection into their post-service experiences.

Bronze Medal Teams: Varsity Teams who can successfully demonstrate that most members have participated in service as a team, and who also have individual members who have participated in service apart from their team.

The Team Awardees are selected by an Award Committee consisting of the Director of Athletics, the Assistant Director of Athletics, the Director of the Center for Service and Social Action, the team Chaplain, the Faculty Representative to OAC and NCAA, and the current president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The winning teams will be announced at the end of April and will receive a Team trophy and their name on two perpetual plaques – one to be displayed in the CSSA office and one in the Athletics hallway.

Applications open: March 27

Applications close: April 15

Four simple steps to apply

Download the Service Log - and have team members submit their service activities.
Prepare a team essay - see details under Award Criteria below
Submit a Team Photo - preferably one of the team engaged in the community
Submit your application and upload required documents here by April 15. Apply here

Varsity Teams - see the Award Criteria and Guidelines Below

2023-2024 Varsity Team Service Award submissions are due April 15, 2024 to service@jcu.edu
Awards will be presented on April 21st.

Apply here:

https://johncarrolluniversity.wufoo.com/forms/varsity-team-service-award-application-2024/

The Varsity Team Service Award is awarded to Varsity teams who demonstrate a noteworthy level of team service annually. Members of the winning varsity teams have participated in service as a team and may also have individual members who have participated in service apart from their team. They have shown exceptional commitment to building relationships with the people they serve and have incorporated significant and meaningful reflection into their post-service experiences.

Options for service participation:

All or most members may participate together in a team-specific service activity and request the assistance of CSSA to determine and communicate with an appropriate partner. Transportation may not be available for large groups. Groups are encouraged to contact CSSA early in the year to discuss options and schedule a project.
Small groups of members may “adopt” established one-time service opportunities by registering via the CSSA online database or coordinating activities with CSSA. Groups are encouraged to contact CSSA early in the year to discuss options and “reserve” projects.
Individual members may participate in established weekly or one-time service opportunities by registering via the CSSA online database or coordinating activities with CSSA.

A complete and qualified submission will include all of the components noted below:

1. The team captain will complete and submit a typed, double-spaced, 500 word essay that includes the following components:

Team’s involvement in service and their efforts to build relationships with the people they serve
Statistics on members’ involvement
Team’s efforts to incorporate reflection into the team’s post-service experience
Brief reflection-based quotations from team members are welcome
Why service to others is important to team, how it ties into their core values, and how it educates members to become men and women for others

2. All service hours for members must be submitted via a specific service log that will be provided to each team (email service@jcu.edu to request the log if you need it).

Consideration period for completion of service hours: the end of the previous academic year (including last year’s Jesuit Day of Service) through the end of the current academic year.
The service log should include service hours coordinated through CSSA, other JCU service opportunities, as well as self-reported hours for service activities done outside of JCU. Self-reported hours for service activities should be thoroughly described.
All team members must be listed on the service log, even if no service contribution was made by some members.

3. One photo of the team engaged in group service should be submitted with the application. The photo does not need to capture the whole team; just a few team members engaged in either indirect service (repacking non-perishables, sorting clothing) or direct service (the photo would include members of the population served, with permission).

Details on selection and awarding are as follows:

The Award Selection Committee that will review applications will consist of the Director of CSSA, Director of Athletics, Assistant Athletic Director for Recruiting, Assistant Athletic Director for Communication, Team Chaplain, Faculty Liaison to OAC and NCAA, and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee President.
The winning team(s) will receive a certificate and their team name on perpetual plaques in both the Center for Service and Social Action office and the Athletics hallway.
The committee reserves the right to not give the awards in any year they decide no applicants are eligible for the award.
The award will be presented in April of each year.

Populations Served: Service, as defined by CSSA, is the action of being with or doing for special populations or populations in need, including: youth, senior citizens, prison inmates or those re-entering society, people experiencing homelessness, people who have developmental or physical disabilities, adult education, refugees and immigrants, and potentially others.
Direct v. Indirect: Service can be direct, such as serving a meal, playing games, or helping someone read or learn English; it can also be indirect, such as repackaging donated food to be distributed to low-income families, sorting medical supplies, painting a porch, answering phones, or cleaning up a public space.
Advocacy and Social Justice Work: While these types of work are undoubtedly important, they are considered by CSSA to be different from service. This would include initiatives such as the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, the AIDS Awareness Ribbon, attending a speaker related to social justice, or attending a protest.
Animals: While service work with animals is also important, CSSA defines service as work with and for people.
Payment Received: Please contact CSSA at service@jcu.edu if you have questions about a service activity for which payment was received.
Internal Examples of Service: Anything coordinated by CSSA, Fatima Teen Day or Fun Day, the Labre Project, Immersion Experiences, Seeds of Hope, RHA Trick or Treat, SUPB Service Project, Early College Mentoring, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Catholic Worker, Make a Difference Day, Footprints for Fatima Planning Committee and Race Day Volunteers, Fatima Food Drive Delivery/Packing/Sorting, Hope Prep, Athletics Service Events, STLF
External Examples of Service: student teaching, internship at a non-profit organization, volunteer work through a parish
For clarification: If you have a question about a specific service activity in which you have taken part, and whether this activity can be considered for a service award application, please contact CSSA at service@jcu.edu.