Earn Maryland Student Service Learning (SSL) Hours

Flexible, in-person, remote, and self-paced service learning opportunities for individual students, small teams, or school clubs!

Are you a Maryland high school student looking to complete your 75 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for graduation? The Jackson Copeland Foundation offers meaningful projects that fit your schedule while making a real difference in the fight against leukemia.

Our service learning opportunities are designed to meet Maryland state guidelines by incorporating preparation, action, and reflection. Whether you are in Montgomery County (MCPS), Prince George’s (PGCPS), Baltimore, or anywhere else in the state, our projects can be tailored to your interests.

Projects include supporting leukemia patients and families through organizing blood drives, leading registration campaigns for the National Marrow Donor Program, or managing fundraising initiatives.

Why Choose Our SSL Projects?

• Remote & Flexible: Much of the work (especially preparation and reflection) can be done from home.
• Statewide: Available to students in every Maryland county.
• Impactful: Your hours directly help save lives and support families battling cancer.

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Maryland SSL Graduation Requirements

Unlike standard volunteering, Maryland requires Student Service Learning—a teaching method that combines community service with curriculum-based learning.

To earn a high school diploma in Maryland, every student must complete 75 hours of service learning.

• The Goal: Address a real community need (ending leukemia) while developing personal responsibility.
• The Process: All our projects guide you through the three required phases:
  1. Preparation: Learning about blood cancer, selecting a mentor, building a team, and planning your project. We recommend reading our guide, Blood & Money: Service Learning and Project Management Principles for Student Volunteers, to get started.
  2. Action: Executing your fundraiser, drive, or awareness campaign.
  3. Reflection: Analyzing the impact of your service on the community.

Note: While 75 hours is the state minimum, many districts (like Montgomery County) have specific forms and pre-approval processes. Always check with your school’s SSL coordinator before starting.

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What Counts for Maryland SSL Hours?

Maryland defines eligible service as activities that benefit the community and are performed without pay. Since school districts have final approval, always get your activity pre-approved by your school counselor or SSL coordinator.

Activities that Generally COUNT for SSL Hours:

• Charitable Service: Volunteering with a registered nonprofit (like us!).
• Civic Engagement: Organizing voter registration or working with civic groups.
• Mentoring/Tutoring: Helping younger students through structured programs.
• Community Health: Organizing blood drives or awareness campaigns for organizations like the National Marrow Donor Program.
• Humanitarian Aid: Fundraising or collecting supplies for families in need (e.g., Meal Trains for cancer patients).

Activities that DO NOT Count:

• Family Obligations: Helping family members or working at a parent’s business.
• Religious Proselytizing: Activities used to convert others to a specific faith (though humanitarian work through a religious group often counts).
• Unsupervised Service: Home activities not verified by an unrelated adult organization.
• Donations Only: Simply donating money or giving blood usually does not count (but organizing the drive does!).

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Service Learning Projects to Earn Your 75 Hours

1. Organizing Blood Drives

Many leukemia patients rely on blood transfusions to survive. While simply giving blood might not count as service learning hours, organizing and hosting a community blood drive definitely does! You will handle the logistics, marketing, and recruitment—gaining valuable leadership skills while saving lives.

2. National Marrow Donor Registry Campaigns

For many patients, a stem cell transplant is the only cure. You can earn SSL hours by organizing a campaign to register new donors for the National Marrow Donor Program. Increasing the registry diversity literally saves lives and meets the “Action” phase of your service learning.

3. Organizing Fundraisers

Plan and execute a fundraiser to support patient families. We assist with the “Preparation” (logistics, accounting, marketing) utilizing the principles from our ebook Blood & Money so you can focus on the “Action.” Whether it’s a 5K, a bake sale, or a digital campaign, fundraising is a classic service learning project accepted by most Maryland schools.

4. Personalized Service Learning

Have a unique idea? We are thrilled to help you design a custom service learning project. We will help you structure the Preparation, Action, and Reflection phases to ensure they meet your graduation requirements. This is perfect for students who want to combine their specific talents (art, coding, writing) with community service.