The Contradiction of Community Service

Community service is an activity that is intended to provide humility for the contributor and assistance for the receiver. At the high school that I attended, a certain amount of community service was necessary, and I wonder if this having this requirement generates the same self fulfilling goals.
I can not imagine that forced or congratulated community service provokes a life long pattern of philanthropic fulfillment in the same way that self initiated community service might.
Against my will, I was a member of an elite mother daughter group, during high school, which was designed to practice community service. The community service always seemed to have an artificial quality to it. The group was devoted to doing charity work for the community, but I quickly gathered that most of the girls were merely a part of the group because of the group’s reputation for being a valuable asset to put on ones resume. Once a year the group would meet for a luxurious luncheon. During this luncheon the head of the National Charity League would recognize a few honorable members, and distribute a select amount of gold plaques to the girls who received the most community service hours. I cannot deny the positive outcome that must have come from the devotion of these girls, but the entire process was competitive and far from selfless. I wonder if the intrinsic incentive behind the outcome should be as valued as the extrinsic motivation that comes from the service.
The college acceptance process highly praises individuals who engage in community service and it makes me contemplate if this rewarding strategy is having an adverse effect.