Service is always needed in the world. When students choose to engage in community service, they are helping those in need and have the opportunity to make a lasting and positive impact on their society. Through service, students can gain skills and knowledge to help them in life, either now or in the future. JustServe acts as a tool for those desirous to serve others and connects those who want to help to needs and volunteer opportunities nearby. Utilizing JustServe can help students to serve and is an especially helpful resource for students in need of service hours.

Elise Noorda, coordinating council JustServe specialist, describes, “On JustServe there are projects you can go do as a group or on your own, things you can do from home – even online, gathering things that will help people with needs, and so many ways to serve.”

She mentions some nearby examples of service opportunities that can be found on JustServe such as Project 150, Gilcrease Orchase, Project Marilyn, Billion Graves, clean up projects, The Just One Project, translating Ted Talks, and opportunities to help the elderly, people with babies, people with disabilities, animals, and nature. These are only a handful of all the service opportunities found on JustServe!

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"Project 150 helps teenagers that are currently without a home. There are so many ways to help - (even donating clothes you no longer need, so that others can have clothes they enjoy wearing). Also packing food bags, helping in the clothes closet, etc." - Noorda https://www.justserve.org/projects/ea94e675-356c-443c-a2c3-0a3dae0b500d

This diversity in service opportunities makes it easy for anyone to volunteer and find enjoyment in their service. With so many different options, an assortment of skills can be learned and a variety of career paths can be explored. The JustServe website and app have search options as well to accommodate what type of opportunity a volunteer is looking for. This includes date range, search radius, project attributes, volunteer skills, and interests.

Noorda explains, “Anyone can use JustServe. There are never any fees or charges associated. Just get on and make an account with your email. Using your location, it will show you things in your area. You can expand the search area (it defaults to 5 miles) to see more projects. This is helpful because Shadow Ridge is located on the edge of the valley.”

There are numerous benefits of serving and it not only helps the volunteer but also those who need it the most. Contributing a few hours to serve can make a difference in the community and in many people’s lives. Service can be fun too and a bonding experience for friends and people of all ages. Even amidst a pandemic, volunteers were still found appeared to help those in need – which was a population that grew steadily due to loss of jobs and illness. Service is an integral part of society and JustServe is an amazing resource to find opportunities to help.

Noorda concludes, “JustServe is just such a great tool, and serving is a wonderful thing to implement as part of how you live.”

JustServe is available to download from the app store and is a website that can found at www.justserve.org. Elise Noorda is available to contact at [email protected], which can be found on the JustServe website.