Would you like to contribute and help make a difference but you aren’t sure where to begin? Do you have a project or program that needs volunteers? A new website at JustServe.org matches faith, nonprofit, community and governmental organizations that need volunteers with volunteers willing to help. JustServe.org links you to service opportunities in your community so you can make a difference wherever you are and however you want to serve.
The emphasis behind the website is that by serving with each other in our local communities, we are paving the way for much broader changes. Our individual efforts don’t need to be huge – a little bit of change here, a few hours there – but even small efforts quickly add up to make a real difference.
As volunteers work side-by-side and learn from each other, mutual understanding increases and new friendships are built.
Becoming a Volunteer
You can sign-up today to start making a difference in our community. Registration is quick and easy and you will begin receiving email notifications when new projects are posted in our area. The website even allows you to team up with friends and volunteer together!
Use of the JustServe site is available to all non-profit organizations and government agencies that use volunteers to accomplish the goal of community service and development.
No project is too big or too small for the volunteer matchmakers. At one end of the spectrum JustServe is working with the San Diego Padres baseball team to provide volunteers and jointly benefit some of San Diegos largest and most worthy charities. The partnership with the Major League Baseball franchise has included a clothing drive to benefit homeless veterans, food drives for local food banks and holiday toy drives to benefit Rady Children’s hospital.
On the other hand some of the justserve projects listed can be accomplished by a family spending a quiet evening at home.
“I have a nine-year-old boy, an eight-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy,” explains a JustServe.org volunteer. “We decided to create birthday cards for Save the Family children. (A project listed on JustServe.org) We selected an evening and got started about 7:00p.m.”
“I thought this would be a long and difficult activity to do with them. I was very wrong. They kept asking how to spell a child’s name and then would spend 15 minutes at a time writing and illustrating the Cards. They were asking lots of good conversation starter questions. We have had some very tender moments through this experience as my children wrote notes and created birthday cards for these new friends they have never met. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so engaged and happy.”
JustServe general guidelines:
- The best service opportunities are collaborative – working side-by-side with others in the community.
- Humanitarian service opportunities should assist the poor and those in need of a helping hand.
- Community service opportunities should enhance the quality of life in the community.
- JustServe projects should not directly involve volunteers in fundraising, have a political focus, or be for-profit oriented.
JustServe.org is provided as a service by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and provides opportunities to relieve suffering, care for the poor and needy, and enhance the quality of life in the community. JustServe is not for proselytizing or publicity – simply a service to help link community volunteer needs with volunteers.
To find out more click here and follow this link to www.justserve.org
