This online Service Learning guide provides educators with step-by-step guidelines for starting a service learning project that connects to academic standards. This guide may be used to start a stand alone project or to enhance current service learning programs. Disney Channel has a longstanding commitment to celebrating diversity. This new online program highlights how service learning can help enhance student's understanding of diverse populations, particularly those with special needs, and promotes inclusion, tolerance, and respect. This program also provides ideas on how special needs students can conduct their own service learning projects and partner with both the community and with other groups of students to make a difference in their communities. The website offers educators a teaching guide and highlights "The Loretta Claiborne Story," a movie about a real-life world-class athlete Loretta Claiborne who overcame overwhelming obstacles to become not only an athlete but a famous speaker, an honorary doctorate and an American hero. "The Loretta Claiborne Story" tells of the impact being different -- in her case, mentally retarded -- can have on a person, as well as the impact that the right kind of support can have. Service learning connects to many of the themes in the movie including diversity in multiple forms ­ abilities, age, race, gender, economic status, and outlook on life.	In creating Learning to Serve, Disney Channel worked closely with Cable in the Classroom, the cable industry's education foundation. The site was written by Robin Porter of the Porter Education Group. Robin specializes in the development of print and online media-based resources for classroom use. In addition, input from two exceptional educators, Matty Rodriguez-Walling with Miami-Dade County Schools in Florida and Laura Jones with Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and the following partners were instrumental in helping guide and shape the content of this web site.