The Mayor’s Award program recognizes the hard work of students who volunteer 60+ (starting in 2026) hours of community service with positive evaluations during their summer break.

Students who are 12 (or turn 12 by June 1) to 18 years of age. Please note that some nonprofits have age minimums and may require an adult to be present if this minimum is not met. Generally there are fewer opportunities for students under age 14.

Students must complete their volunteers hours within the Greater Triangle region, including: Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Person, Vance, or Wake County, NC.

You can serve at several different organizations, as long as your hours add up to the required minimum. You must maintain a timesheet and each supervisor will need to approve your hours and complete an evaluation form.

Our online volunteer matching database, HandsOnTriangle.org has hundreds of volunteer opportunities. Any opportunity listed is eligible for the award. Students can also contact nonprofits and select opportunities that may not be listed. There are thousands of nonprofits throughout the Triangle providing students with plenty of ways to find an opportunity to volunteer.

We encourage students to take leadership in locating a volunteer opportunity. If you have contacted several agencies and they are unable to find a placement for you, consider creating an opportunity with another agency. It is common to have to contact numerous groups before finding a match. If you have contacted more than 5 agencies and cannot find a match, e-mail the names of the agencies that you have contacted, your name and age, city, and volunteer interests to us and we will assist you in locating an opportunity.

Hours from any certified nonprofit will be recognized. 

Click Here to see if an organization is registered with us.

If the nonprofit is not registered with us, please use this database to check if it is a certified 501c3 Nonprofit. 

Based on the email address you provide in the application form to receive notifications, you will receive a thank you notification after completing the form. This notification will have the link to the supervisors evaluation form, please send it to each of your supervisors so they can complete and submit in a timely manner.

Your hours must be completed by the start of the first day of school. This varies between schools so we ask for your start and end dates on your application.

Please check out the Additional Information Page.

Additional Questions?

Phone: 919-321-6943

Or email Hannah Davis, our Community Programs Manager.