What is the Silver Cord?
In a time where capitalism reigns supreme, and the inflation of goods and services grows more and more every year, unpaid work is looked upon as a time-consuming alternative to relaxing in front of the T.V. Yet volunteering has always been prized and respected in our society.
West shows that respect by offering the Silver Cord Program. This program requires students to record and submit 200 volunteer hours throughout their high school career. Once that has been completed, students receive a silver honor cord at graduation. There is another program as well called the Gold W that requires 400 hours and also results in an honor cord. Although many students are interested in putting in volunteer work for the silver cord, they may not know how or where to start.
According to information given by the West High Administration, only 14 students from the class of 2023 achieved the silver cord, and seven were awarded the Gold W. Though these numbers are still impressive, they don’t reflect the true enthusiasm for volunteering that is shown here at West.
The program itself has recently made changes to the way hours are recorded in hopes of making the process easier and more accessible. Students in the past filled out papers every time they volunteered and had to get them signed by a supervisor of some kind. Now, there is an online form linked to the Silver Cord website that students must do to record their hours. It allows up to eight hours on one form with the option of linking a time sheet for regular volunteers. This change has made the process much more efficient and less time-consuming.
Where to Volunteer
West Side Story has compiled a list of organizations, nonprofits and even West High clubs that are always in need of eager volunteers.
Ronald McDonald House Charities:
The Ronald McDonald House Charities is a free housing system for families with children in the hospital, founded by the restaurant McDonald’s in 1974. With locations in the Midwest and the South, families from all over the world look for sanctuary in the House. Due to limited rooms, the Ronald McDonald Houses partners with nearby hotels to offer discounted room rates for families they are unable to house at the current time.
Volunteers can work at the front desk to take calls and referrals, work throughout the House to clean and do laundry, come with meal groups to cook for the families or take families to the nearby hospitals. Along with volunteering, support to the House can be offered by donating. Some of these items include children’s toys, clothes, food and pop tabs, or offering a monetary donation when eating at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant.
Volunteers can sign up on the website for their closest location and, after a short informational session, start working whenever they have free time.
West High student Helen Cui ’24 is a long-time volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City.
“It’s a great way for me to get involved with my community and interact with individuals who are different from myself,” Cui said.
Habitat for Humanity Club:
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit that has partnered with West to create an after-school club dedicated to helping out the organization. The focus of Habitat for Humanity is to help people struggling with housing by building affordable housing and selling secondhand furniture at a low price. The West High Club was created because West students Anjali Matthews ’24 and Grace Cheng ’24 wanted to get the word out about Habitat for Humanity.
“We want to get more people to go to builds and Restore together, so it’ll be a community task and more fun,” Matthews said.
The club is looking for more members to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity’s used furniture store. It’s called Restore, and volunteers play a big role in keeping it going. There’s a lot of work to be done, such as helping put together bed frames, lamps and shelves. They also break down furniture so it can be easily recycled.
“It’s really easy stuff but it’s important,” Cheng said.
Going to builds might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t require any previous construction experience, and you won’t be put in any danger.
“You mostly do stuff like nailing insulation, moving light furniture, painting and there’s always adults there,” Matthews said.
The Habitat for Humanity club meets every Wednesday after school in Ms. Barnhouse’s room. Joining this club would be a great way to get an hour or two every week for Silver Cord.
1440 Interact Club:
1440 Interact Club is a club that meets every Wednesday after school in Ms. Sandhu’s room. It’s associated with the organization Rotary International, and its main purpose is to serve the community. The club does different activities every week, from making dog toys to volunteering with the elderly. If you’re interested in volunteering but don’t want to commit to any particular organization yet, this group is a great place to test the waters. This year’s presidents are Zaira Ahmad ’24, Lilly Graham ’24 and Kamakshee Kuchhal ’24. All three of them would love to have more members of the club.
“We hope to continue to expand the club and provide opportunities to volunteer,” Kuchhal said. Kuchhal and the other presidents work hard to find opportunities for the club members to volunteer and make the community a better place.
Iowa City Animal Shelter:
The Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center is located on Napoleon Drive in Iowa City. They house dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils and many other small pets who are in need of a home. The animal shelter is always in need of volunteers. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, such as walking the dogs, cleaning kennels, and doing laundry. In order to become a volunteer, you have to sign up online at the animal shelter’s website and then complete some training to ensure you’re ready to interact with the animals.
Saundra Griffith ’24 has been a volunteer at the shelter since they were 13. They love working with the cats and have adopted from the shelter before.
“[The training courses] give you a lot of useful information and look great on a resume,” Griffith said. Volunteering at the shelter is an amazing opportunity for animal lovers to give back to the community, get Silver Cord hours and have a good time hanging out with animals.
Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church:
Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is located at 140 Gathering Place Lane in Iowa City. The Church has services every Sunday, youth groups on Wednesday for middle schoolers, Thursday for elementary schoolers, and Sunday for high schoolers. They also often partner with HACAP, which works to feed America by giving free food to local food pantries. Volunteers work with leaders to organize service projects for the Church and help set up the area for speakers. They also play with kids to help them stay active in the church.
Neveah Hoffman ‘24 volunteers at Saint Andrew’s every week, first hoping to get enough hours to receive the Silver Cord at graduation, but eventually, her motivations changed.
“I just want to be there… I like helping the kids,” Hoffman said. Hoffman highlights the necessity of volunteering.
“We always need more volunteers… I’m the only volunteer there and it would help make the kids happy and also the leaders happy, knowing that there are people who are willing to help out,” Hoffman said.
