Most high school kids—nearly all high school kids—don't exactly jump at the thought of spending their spare time doing community service. Some students even question why community service hours are even required at all. Unfortunately, the answer is if service hours were not mandatory, almost no one would volunteer in the community!

The Opp-Guide to Community Service in Broward County is a review of various community service organizations in the Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida area. Written specifically by teens for teens, the reviews are honest, occasionally funny, candid, and help fill the missing link between actually enjoying volunteering and only being there for the credit. The Opp-Guide was created to make those “required” service hours more meaningful to students as well as the organizations they serve. We believe this can only be accomplished by matching a student's interest with that of an organization.

10 hours, 50 hours. So you have to fulfill all this community service this year. How are you going to do it all? Do you even know where to start? The Opp-Guide is going to help you find what you can do to really help out and enjoy yourself while doing it. What opportunities are out there that really inspire you; circumstances that actually make you want to help? Opportunities you would love to spend your free Sundays doing, ones that won't bore you to death, maybe even something you could do with a friend, or a boy or girlfriend.

You've found your answer: The Opp-Guide has all you need to know! Modeled after the Zagat Survey® which critiques restaurants, hotels, and resorts, The Opp-Guide instead rates community service opportunities. And the reviewers are students just like you! The Opp-Guide will undoubtedly help you find something to do in your community thats both fun AND useful.

This webpage and the hardcopy of the Guide are comprised of kids' opinions—just like you and me— who have rated different organizations and volunteer opportunities. In their reviews, they noted if they were dying of boredom and had an awful experience, or if they actually had a blast playing piano for old people.

So you're just like all of the other people who have helped compile the Opp-Guide. You may even be ONE of them!

Now you will easily find chances to fulfill your required service hours—and you may even discover a passion that you never even knew you had. Love animals? Sweet! Read some reviews of animal shelters that desperately need your help.

Or perhaps you've helped out a lot in your community already and noticed that the Opp-Guide is missing a review of your favorite organization? Even better! Fill out a review form and receive community service hours just by writing a review. Look at that, you've already helped other students find enjoyable service opportunities.

So explore our page, volunteer for a reviewed organization that you think you might like, or be adventurous and try an un-reviewed organization and help your peers by filling out a review! Maybe purchase a hardcopy guide, the proceeds go to charity! We're pretty big on this whole helping people thing... Let this moment stand as a turning point for a brand new chapter of fun, easy to find service opportunities.

We would like to give special thanks to Youth Service America (YSA) and Northern Trust and Do Something. org! for supporting The Opp-Guide. We are now a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and welcome all contributions which are tax deductible.