Salem Oregon Stake

On June 18, around eighty Salem Oregon Stake children, youth, and adults welcomed the beginning of summer vacation with a JustServe Summer Kick-off event at Woodmansee Park in south Salem.

Bringing their rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows, participants worked together to spread bark mulch on dirt trails near the playground. Along with helping on the trail restoration project, children colored Thank-You cards for the use of Liberty House and Welcome cards for refugees.

The weather was perfect for a morning in the park and willing workers accomplished a great deal during the two-hour project. Parents and grandparents shoveled mulch alongside their children and grandchildren, youth and older children drove wheelbarrows, and even the smallest worker could help spread the bark mulch on the trails. One of the children, Hayden, declared,”I like the shovel better than the rake.” Kennedy enjoyed finding centipedes in the mulch, and Halle described “making the trails smooth and flat.”

As part of this day of service, more than a dozen used bicycles were contributed and summer toys were collected. The bicycles were given to Northwest Bike Hub which repairs and donates bikes to those in need in the community, and the toys went to the Church @ the Park facility for families experiencing homelessness.

To help families, children, and individuals find more ways to serve, handouts with QR codes linking to JustServe service opportunities were distributed (along with popsicles) at the conclusion of the activity.

For opportunities to serve with your family this summer, go to JustServe.org and find a project that works for you.

Here are a few possibilities from those shared at the event: