In August 2023, the Student Service Club™ school-based model was launched as an extension of the Ryan Nece Foundation’s Student Service Program to ensure all teens have access to organized community service opportunities and inspirational servant leadership education. Since then, we have continued to grow and expand this program. In August 2026 during our 20th anniversary, we also expanded to the Greater San Francisco Bay Area! Now, students from both Bay Areas can have the tools and resources to achieve the Ryan Nece Foundation vision that all teens can become leaders and impact giving in their communities.
School-Based Club Model
Once a school is engaged with the Ryan Nece Foundation as an official Student Service Club™, a full Program Guide and curriculum is implemented through a Ryan Nece Foundation provided coordinator. Through the 10-month Program Guide, students will have the opportunity to see the issues in their communities and develop the skills needed to respond, becoming part of the solution now and as they take each next step.
2026-2027 topics discussed at each meeting include:
- August – Make the First Move: Building skills for task initiation and focused action.
- September – All Systems Go: Assessing their personal operating system and apply planning tools to manage responsibilities successfully.
- October (Financial Literacy Series) – Separating Value from Hype: Learning to make smart, value-based purchasing decisions.
- November – Remember to Breathe: Applying communication frameworks to real-world situations for school and careers.
- December – Survey Says! Reflecting on effective strategies to plan a strong semester finish.
- January – Twists and Turns: Developing adaptability skills to navigate change through teamwork and problem-solving. Plus, identifying and planing a service-learning project to address a community need.
- February (Inspiring Futures Career Panel Series) – What I Wish I Knew in High School: Learning what professionals wish they had known in high school through generational conversations.
- March – The ButterFLY Effect: Analyzing how choices made in the final months of school can lead to different year-end outcomes.
- April – Making It Count: Reflecting on their personal growth and leadership development, complete an end-of year program impact survey, and evaluate the impact of their service-learning project.
- May – You’ve Got Mail: Demonstrating appreciation for educators and staff through a writing project.
School-Based Funding Partners
No matter what next step our students take in life, our hope is they can use the skills and talents they discovered and sharpened in the Ryan Nece Foundation Student Service Club™ to serve a cause they care about.
Current Clubs
We are proud to be partnering with these AVID classrooms and teachers through a special partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Alonso High School
- Brandon High School
- Durant High School
- Gaither High School
- Lennard High School
- Riverview High School
- Robinson High School
- Sickles High School
- Wharton High School
- Mulrennan Middle School
We are also proud to partner with CES Academy at Lealman.
In California, we are proud to be partnering with these AVID classrooms and teachers through a special partnership with the MVLA school district for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Los Altos High School
- Mountain View High School
2025-2026 Results
You can download our 2025-2026 Student Service Club – A Year of Impact Report here.
Growth showed up everywhere during this school year:
- 2,000+ students served per month
- 20 teacher partners, including 6 new educators
- 17 schools across Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, including 5 new school partners
- 70 class periods served per month (on average)
Our High School Partners list grew to include Alonso, Brandon, Chamberlain, Durant, East Bay, Freedom, Gaither, Jefferson, Jacobson Tech, King, Lennard, Plant City, Sickles, Spoto, Strawberry Crest, Sumner, and Wharton.
At the end of the year, 1,173 students completed our End-of-Year Survey. The results reinforced what we were already seeing in classrooms:
- 90% of students (827 of 916 responses) said they applied a leadership skill learned through the program this year.
More pointedly:
- 65% of students reported applying negotiation or persuasion skills in real life, from navigating family conversations to collaborating more effectively in group academic work.
- 60% of students began applying new time-management strategies, from studying more effectively to breaking large tasks into manageable chunks.
Behind every percentage is a student’s voice. A 9th grader at Brandon High shared that they started using the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. A 12th grader at Alonso High said they started budgeting their expenses and setting aside a set amount from every paycheck. And a 10th grader at Gaither High told us AI helps them understand lessons faster, but that it’s important to use it ethically and still do their own thinking.
Maybe the most powerful reflection came from an 11th grader at Brandon High, who said they never thought of themselves as a leader because they thought leaders were the loudest people in the room, until the Ryan Nece Foundation showed them that the most powerful thing you can do is show up for someone else, quietly and consistently, without needing the credit.
You can download our 2025-2026 Student Service Club – A Year of Impact Report here.
Interested in hosting your own Student Service Club™ in Hillsborough, Pinellas, or Pasco County?
Email Director of School Programs Daphne Miles at [email protected] to be added to our Wait List.