Below you’ll find answers to the most common questions we receive about the Silver Cord Program. If you have questions you don’t see in the list below, please reach out to Silver Cord via email at silvercord@waukeeschools.org.

You do not need to sign up! All Waukee students are registered for the Silver Cord Program beginning June 1st of ninth grade. To participate, students can log in to www.waukeesilvercord.org to read our handbook and access volunteer opportunities. Contact a non-profit organization to sign up for a shift that interests you. After volunteering, return to the website within 30 days to submit your service time for Silver Cord credit.

In addition to helping the community, students usually feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment when volunteering and giving back. Additional benefits may include experience in a job field that interests you, making connections with community leaders and other students throughout the area, gaining knowledge about cultures and experiences different than your own, and improved time management skills. And, volunteering can be fun!

All students will use their Waukee Schools email address and password to log in.  Only students who are currently eligible to earn Silver Cord hours can access the website.

You have 30 days from the date of volunteer service to add your hours. Please note that your organization must be in the list under View Organizations before you can add your hours. If it is not, you will need to submit the organization for approval prior to the 30-day deadline. Organization approval can take up to 10 business days. Students must plan ahead to assure that their hours can be added before the deadline. It is best to add an organization prior to volunteer service.

The system will not let you add hours after 30 days have passed. Ongoing volunteer opportunities can be added on a weekly or monthly basis, but must be within 30 days. You can volunteer a maximum of eight hours per day. If you are having technical issues, contact our office immediately. There are no exceptions to this deadline.

Students can earn a maximum of eight hours per day. You cannot get credit for more than that, regardless of how much time you serve.

You should add your hours with the organization that can verify your volunteer service. This is not necessarily the same as the location where you volunteered. If you helped at a specific event, who organized the event? Who did you contact to sign up? That is the organization to use when adding your hours. You can click on any group in View Organizations to see their contact(s), which is who will receive an email to verify your hours. Contact the Silver Cord Program Supervisor if you are unsure and need assistance.

All entries are reviewed twice, first by your volunteer group and then by the Silver Cord Program. Click on View beside an entry to see its current status. If the status says, “Waiting for organization review,” the volunteer organization has not yet verified your hours. Contact the non-profit organization about verifying your hours if the entry has been pending for more than three weeks. If your submission says, “Waiting for Silver Cord admin review,” the volunteer organization has verified your hours, and the entry needs to be reviewed by the Silver Cord Program to make sure your service meets our guidelines. Final approvals by the Silver Cord Program will take longer during the summer and could be pending for many weeks.

Submissions cannot be edited. Email silvercord@waukeeschools.org and request that your entry be denied. You will then be able to add the hours again correctly.

Hours will automatically appear in Pending Hours after they have been submitted. Please confirm that your hours show as pending after you enter them. If they do not, submit them again.

Your total Silver Cord hours are listed on your Dashboard.

All students are required to use their Waukee Schools email address for the Silver Cord Program. Notifications about approved/denied hours and any updates will be sent to this email address.

You must use the password paired with your @waukeeschools.org email address.

Use the Forgot Password link on Gmail.com to reset your password. If you are having difficulties, please contact the Waukee Community School District IT Department.

Please email silvercord@waukeeschools.org.

No. Most colleges will want to see how you have chosen to spend your time in high school. All of your extracurricular activities explain who you are and how you might contribute to their school as a college student. A history of volunteering in ways that are meaningful to you will be seen as a benefit on most college applications.

The Silver Cord Program does not provide its own scholarships, but community involvement or service is a component of many outside scholarship applications. The Silver Cord Program is an easy way to track where you have volunteered and how much time you have spent serving the community.