Who are we?

SASO, pronounced (pronounced “say-so”) stands for Scholars and Athletes Serving Others . Just think of the catch phrase,“if you need help, just say so!" SASO is an inclusive high school girls service organization for girls who live in or attend high school in the town of Fairfield. Our mom and daughter teams participate in events that help partnered philanthropies. We provide personal growth opportunities for young women to grow in the areas of leadership, service and interpersonal relationships.

HOW DO WE JOIN?

SASO’s year runs from June 1-May 31. Registration typically starts May 1 for the next membership year. Check the Membership page of our website for more details on membership requirements and how to join.

 

WHO ARE THE BOARD MEMBERS?

 

Our board members are new or current members who serve for two years or more. They bring new ideas and enthusiasm as well as a passion for service. Our board meets once a month to review current happenings and needs. We hope that you will consider getting involved! Please email sasogirlsct@gmail.com if you are interested in more information about joining the board.

 

WE APPLIED. ARE WE IN?

 

You will receive a confirmation email once you have paid for your SASO membership. Also, look for a welcome email sometime after June 1 when the new membership year begins. If you paid for membership and are not receiving SASO emails, please email sasogirlsct@gmail.com.

 

HOW DO WE SIGN UP?

 

Signing up for events can be easily done by logging into our SASO Girls homepage and clicking on the EVENTS quicklink tab. Find an event you are both interested in and click the sign-up link, then click the boxes next to each of your names. Remember to click the SAVE button at the bottom of the page! Please note: In some cases, an event will require two sign-ups: One through SASO and one through the partner philanthrophy. This will be indicated in the write-up of the event. Some philanthrophies may use your name and email for purposes of communication.  DO MOM & DAUGHTER NEED TO ATTEND EVERY EVENT TOGETHER?  As we are a mom/daughter organization, we ask that you complete your three required events together. After completing three events together, your daughter or you can volunteer alone.

 

WHAT DO WE DO IF THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH TIMESLOTS REMAINING?

 

Sometimes a single or odd number of volunteer slot remains. This may happen if a team has completed three events and a daughter is signing up on her own, or if a mom has two daughters in SASO and signs up for three slots. If you and your daughter(s) wish to volunteer together, please email the event captain for assistance.

 

 

 WHAT DO WE DO IF WE CAN'T MAKE THE EVENT WE SIGNED UP FOR?

 

Please do your best to sign up for events that you are able to commit to attending. Our philanthropies rely on us for help, and last minute cancellations leave us — and more importantly them — scrambling. If something unexpected (like an illness) comes up, please try to find a replacement. If you are unable to find someone, and you absolutely cannot make the event, contact the captain, giving as much notice as possible. Their email is in the Event description on the website. 

 

 

HOW DO WE RECORD AN EVENT WE HAVE COMPLETED?

 

Once you have completed an event, you are responsible for logging your own participation using the self-reporting tool on our website. Click on "My Account" and "View and Record My Hours." Follow the prompts to record hours. Under the "Opportunity" menu, select the event you have completed from the dropdown menu (Hint: events are organized by season in which they were listed. You can also start typing the first letter or two of the event you completed and a short list of choices will pop up). Only hours for daughters need to be recorded; be sure to toggle to assign hours to your daughter(s). We rely on the honor system for tracking events and expect members to only record events they have attended.

 

Effective June 1, 2025: Because PVSA, honor socieites and other outside organizations may require members to report by hours of community service completed, rather than by event, the following guidelines should be used to record SASO events that do not have delineated start and end times. These guidlelines represent and average of how much time specified activities will likely take and will ensure that hours are recorded fairly across members. Shopping and transit time are not to be counted.

 

AT HOME EVENTS:
Drives (qty 10-12)*: 1 hour

Creating cards/posters (qty 10-12): 1.5 hours

Homemade cookies: 1 hour per dozen

* Members may not multiply the amount requested in an effort to earn more hours. For example, purchasing 20 items instead of 10 will not earn a member 2 hours.

 

FOOD RESCUE:

Record amount of time between pickup and dropoff. There is no limit on Food Rescues completed per month, but only one Food Rescue may count toward the three events required for membership.

 

OPERATION HOPE MEALS

Operation Hope meals: Community Cook and Freezer Meal Entrees: 2.5 hours; Sides: 2 hours; Salad, drinks, store-bought desserts: 1 hour; Bagged lunches: 1.5 hours; homemade cookies or desserts: 1 hour per dozen. Members may sign up for 2 Operation Hope events per month.

 

DOES SASO OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR ANY ACTIVITIES?

 

Yes. Effective June 1, 2025, SASO Girls will reimburse $25 for lunches prepaped for Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, as well as $25 for lunches and all protein entrees and freezer meals prepared for Operation Hope. SASO Girls will not reimburse for starches, salad, vegetables, dessert and drinks. Please submit receipts within 30 days along with this form. There is no max on how often reimbursement can be sought.

 

 

WHAT IS PVSA? 

 

The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is the premier awards program in the United States to encourage service. SASO is certified to bestow this award to members who qualify. It is awarded based on number of hours served during SASO membership year, within the following age categories:

Teens (11-15) Hours: Bronze 50, Silver 75, Gold 100+
Young Adult (16-25) Hours: Bronze 100, Silver 175, Gold 250+

 

SASO members who wish to participate must email sasogirlspvsa@gmail.com by September 30 of the membership year. Candidates must meet all requirements of PVSA which includes serving a minimum of 30% of hours through SASO and a maximum of 70% hours through other service organization, while tracking and certifying every hour on Google Docs. For more information and links, visit the PVSA page of our website.