Lebanon is the world’s 101st JustServe city.
The designation, which recognizes cities that take part in a program to promote volunteerism, became official last month. At a November City Council meeting, Lebanon Mayor Jared Carr read the city’s proclamation supporting volunteers and presented it to Victoria Lloyd, Lebanon’s JustServe Specialist for the past two years.
Lloyd explained how the program works with the JustServe app.
“If somebody from, say your church had experienced a tornado and they needed help with the cleanup,” Lloyd said. “We could pull the resources together and then everybody from all the churches can come and help instead of just like our church will handle our own problems it's a way for everybody to work together.”
Anyone interested in finding volunteer opportunities can use the JustServe app. If someone wanted to serve in Lebanon, they would go to the website, type in the zip code and it would pull up the opportunities to serve.
“Volunteers can go onto the website or the app and they can find volunteer opportunities in their communities as individuals, families, churches groups and any church nonprofit or government group and it’s all for free for everybody,” Lloyd said.
Advantages to being a JustServe City include recognition on JustServe.org, access to Hero Award certificate templates for distribution and one on one support from JustServe specialists.
Laura Gartin of Live2GiveHope said, “JustServe has been such an incredible blessing to Live 2 Give Hope. Their volunteers are joyful, dependable, and always ready to jump in – whether it’s donating pillowcases and pickles or giving their time wherever it’s needed. They make coordinating help easy, and their support has truly encouraged and uplifted our entire team. Most importantly, their kindness shows our foster families that they’re not alone – that this community sees them, supports them, and stands behind the work they’re doing for vulnerable children.”
Robin Durbin, executive director of Elevate Lebanon, said JustServe has been very helpful for her organization.
"As Elevate Lebanon moves into its third year of partnership with JustServe, we continue to be grateful for their support of our outreach events and the Elevate Work program. From meal preparation to childcare, their service has been an invaluable blessing to the individuals and families we serve,” she said.
Lloyd said the next step will be for Lebanon to become a Global JustServe City.
“To do that, we have to have projects listed on the website, which we've had for two years. We have to have volunteers in the community, volunteering on the website, which we have had for two years,” she said.
JustServe.org is provided as a service by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
To learn more about the JustServe program and find volunteers, visit www.justserve.org or download the JustServe app.
