‘Just Serve’ Events Mark 9/11 Day of Service for First Responders, Local Charities

As our country marks the 9/11 “National Day of Service,” North Texas residents chose to honor first responders who have worked tirelessly this year to fight fires, floods and emergencies. Service projects were also organized with DFW charitable organizations to help feed the hungry and needy in a struggling economy.

Over 38 service projects were organized for “National Day of Service” via the website JustServe.org, a coalition partner of 911day.org.

Students from the Lewisville High School Student Council and National Honors Society along with members of several faith communities in Flower Mound and Lewisville worked together to prepare over 4,000 snack bags for foster kids in the greater DFW area.

On Sept. 10, 315 volunteers gathered to assemble over 4,000 snack bags at the Westside Baptist Church Lewisville. Volunteers also made notes of appreciation for local first responders, thanking them for risking their lives while keeping our communities healthy and safe. Lewisville Police Department and Lewisville Fire also volunteered and interacted with the children and families in attendance.

“It is an elevating and invaluable experience to join in a community service effort like this one. Coming together to do something good helps connect us as a community. It fosters that spirit of unity that we felt in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001,” said Karen Christensen, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and co-organizer of the event.

Foster Kids Charity is distributing the snack bags to foster children currently in state care, in court and in child welfare agencies throughout the metroplex.

At Saint Arbor Community Development Corporation, about 58 volunteers cleared weeds and garden beds to prepare for planting.

At The Little Elm Area Food Bank, 50 people showed up to spruce the facility in order to more efficiently serve members of the community in the future. They worked hard painting and reorganizing the facility.

Church members in Plano gathered to assemble meal kits for Kids Against Hunger and hygiene kits for Rio Valley Relief Project for refugees in crisis.

Donations were also gathered for the peanut butter drive for North Texas Food Bank.

Members of The Church in Frisco assembled dozens of gift bags for Police & Fire first responders with cards and treats to thank them. Children and youth made thank-you cards to appreciate the first responders.

In Tyler, an organization called JustUs fights for the underprivileged in society. Their organization has a community garden to provide fresh foods while bringing people together.

The founder of JustUs, Terry Bonner, invited community members to serve for 9/11 and work in the garden. Another organization helping to establish the garden is The Church, with a number of volunteers working to till the garden and spread compost prior to planting. The Church is committed to self-reliance and bringing the community together.

Bonner is grateful for the help from so many volunteers for the 9-11 National Day of Service.
“They shocked me with their devotion to God,” Bonner said. “Especially the young ones. It’s so amazing to me that they could be doing anything with your lives right now and they’re choosing to serve God. Our goal is to help groups work together in the community, and we are excited about the future.”

Youth in Duncanville, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Midlothian and Dallas gathered to help local residents in need clear their yards of debris.

When the Keep Duncanville Beautiful board met in August, the plan to clean a park on Sept. 10 had to be tabled. Another group had secured the project, which would have served as the city volunteer effort for the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.

“Would you like to present a Proclamation?” suggested Parks and Recreation Executive Assistant Angie Martinez. Using a template from AmeriCorps, the government agency tasked with volunteer awareness, she crafted one in time for the September City Council meeting held on Sept 6. Mary Ann Taylor, chair of the Keep Duncanville Beautiful board, is a member of The Church working to bring attention to the day of service and shared the proclamation idea with other leaders in the area.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ in the Colleyville area partnered with GRACE Grapevine to staff their donation station and two of their resale shops. “This ongoing partnership we’ve built with GRACE continues to bless our members with opportunities to reach out and serve their neighbors, just as Jesus did. We’re so grateful we had the chance to dedicate a few hours of our time to remember the victims of 9/11 and to contribute to the spirit of service in the area,” said Leslie Horn, one of the volunteers.

Members of the Southlake LDS community met early Saturday morning to pick up debris and litter left behind after recent storms flooded the area. “It’s a great feeling to serve together with friends in support of our community,” said Cale Meacham, who volunteered at Rockledge Park. “You couldn’t see how much trash there was until you got closer; then you could see how badly it needed to be cleaned up. In a short amount of time, we were able to make a big difference at this beautiful waterfront park so that people can enjoy their time playing, hiking, and watching the sunsets over Grapevine Lake.”

Part of the Proclamation read by City Councilman Jeremy Koontz uses the phrase “annually and forever” to Americans “to remember and to pay tribute” to the victims and to the first responders from that day. Rather than highlighting the horrific events, the purpose of volunteering is to show “the American spirit of resilience through service.”

One good way to say thank you is to share a heartfelt “Thank you” card. At a recent area-wide conference at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Duncanville, children received cards and new crayons. Over 75 are now ready with THANK YOU! and ¡GRACIAS! colorful interpretations.

In Shreveport, Latter-day Saints hosted a luncheon for first responders, service members and their families.

Just Serve is a website sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that brings together volunteers with organizations in need of help. Just Serve has partnered with organizations across the globe, but is searchable by zip code so that you can find a project in your own backyard. There are even opportunities for remote service that you can do from home. Just Serve is a coalition partner with 9/11 Day to help you serve on this day and beyond.

Contributors: Sharisa Lewis, Jessica Kern, Mary Ann Taylor, Chelsey Vincent, Christoph Luschin, Josh Hadley, Andi Gibson