Author: Measor, Greg

National longhouse

Community
Service Project

A NATIONAL SERVICE WORKS PROJECT FOR NATIVE SONS & DAUGHTERS PROGRAMS

Project Purpose & Highlights
Earn National recognition and awards for your project
Teach & learn the value of service to community in the spirit of the Six Aims
Create community awareness for your Local Longhouse

Established 2012
Awards Process Updated 2015
2nd, 3rd & 4th Year Bar Patches introduced 2016

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National Longhouse
Community Service Project

Program Overview

The primary purpose for the Community Service Project (CSP) is to carry out the portion of our Mission Statement that states: “Rendering relief to the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged through the belief that you help yourself by helping others”
Two of the Six Native Sons & Daughters Programs® Aims are directly realized through service to one’s community:
To Love My Neighbor As Myself
To Seek and Preserve the Beauty of the Great Spirits Work in Forest, Field and Stream
Tribes and Longhouses are encouraged to further these Aims by developing and conducting projects that provide meaningful service to their community, while creating shared experiences for parent and child.
Project and participant details are recorded on a project information collection form and submitted to National Longhouse. Information on the collection form also provides National Longhouse with material needed for grant applications. Grant awards would further the overall NSD mission and uplift program development.
National Longhouse provides recognition and awards for all projects and participants to celebrate their accomplishments.

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National Longhouse
Community Service Project

Community Service Projects

Projects
Meaningful community service can comes in many forms and the diversity of potential projects is nearly boundless. Use your imagination to identify needs unique to your community. Regular participation in community service projects is highly encouraged throughout NSD Programs. Each project can be unique or a continuation of a previous years’ project. Individuals, Tribes or entire Longhouses may work together to develop and conduct projects for their communities.
Just a Few Project Examples:
Working at a food bank
Meals on wheels
Fundraisers for various charitable organizations
Preparing and serving meals at homeless shelters
Disaster supply collections
Back to school packets for needy families
Book drive for homeless shelter library
Park cleanups, adopt a road, adopt a park, adopt a trail
Aid to Native American organizations or reservations
Submission Guidelines (revised 2015):
CSP Awards are distributed year-round with no specific deadline to submit forms. Project data should be collected throughout the entire project period and submitted to National Longhouse using the established project data collection form. Follow the instructions on the form. Upon receipt by National Longhouse, the information will be processed and Awards will be distributed in a timely manner.

National Longhouse
CommunityServiceProject

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Project Awards

There are several levels of Awards and Recognitions bestowed annually for participating in the CSP. Award distinctions are:
Members: First year participants (both parent and child) are awarded the Community Service patch (shown). Subsequent year participants are awarded a colored year bar that compliments the first year patch. Also included is a personalized certificate suitable for framing.
Tribes and Longhouses: The names of participating Members and Tribes are sent to the Longhouse leadership. Longhouses may choose to conduct a formal recognition ceremony and presentation of individual awards.
National Recognition: All participating Members, Tribes and Longhouse as well as summaries of CSP’s will be recognized in a special edition of the National Longhouse newsletter distributed through the CircleBridge email system and posted on the National Longhouse website.

..Parent & Child Together…
Make a Difference in Your Community…
Make a Difference in Someone’s Life !

The National Longhouse
Community Service
Project Award Patch and Year Bars
Fully embroidered, 3.6” x 2.6”
The eagle is viewed as a messenger in the Native American culture. Our message is that we give service to our community as well as having fun as parent & child. Also, the eagle feather is a very high honor of distinction in the Native American culture. For these reasons, the eagle feather was chosen as a simple and honored way to recognize service to our community.