I love that September 11th has been deemed a National Day of Service and Remembrance to transform 9/11 from a day of tragedy to a day of doing good. On this day we are all asked to volunteer and serve in our local communities in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, first responders, and the many who have risen in service to defend freedom. What a fabulous way to turn tragedy into triumph by making it a day to serve others and make it a day of doing good.
A really great tool for finding opportunities to safely volunteer to serve is on the website JustServe.org . That website allows you to search for opportunities you can serve by the location where you live or there is an additional search options link that let’s you search by particular skills you can offer, or areas of interest you have a passion for, and other attributes. By way of example I searched for opportunities to serve in Utah which gave a huge list of all kinds of opportunities to serve. Then I searched using the more search options link and I said I wanted to filter the list by opportunities that utilized my skills in entrepreneurship which let me see that Junior Achievement needs volunteers to assist 5th grade students as they participate in their Junior Achievement City which lets students get to take out mock loans, start mock companies, etc. Then my husband did a search for opportunities that would need his skills in farming and it showed an opportunity to volunteer at I C A N Academy Agricultural Farm in Utah helping special needs individuals learn to work as farmers growing fresh, healthy food for our community utilizing regenerative agricultural practices to enhance the soil. So you can really get specific on how you want to serve or you can look broadly for all service needed in your area.
Whether you volunteer to serve on a specific project or you do simple acts of service such as reaching out to a friend or paying a compliment to a stranger, the important thing is to serve as a way of honoring all those we pay tribute to on this National Day of Service and Remembrance.
“As we lose ourselves in the service of others we discover our own lives and our own happiness.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )
