by Cindy Tyler
Turning the memory of an historic tragedy into an opportunity for community service, some 400 members of the Vista community came together on Saturday, September 27 to remember 9/11 and to participate in projects to improve the lives of their neighbors.
Sponsored by JustServe, the event gave attendees a chance to serve children, homeless families, disaster victims, veterans, and even dogs.
The day began with Boy Scout Troop 702 leading the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. DJ Chris Wright provided upbeat music throughout the afternoon, adding to the spirit of fun. Miss Vista, Serenity Serda, Miss Teen Vista, Sadie Donovan, and members of the Vista royal courts added some sparkle to the event as they pitched in doing everything from making ornaments to serving pizza to the participants.
Battalion Chief Brendan Halle of the Vista Fire Department led the group in a moment of silence in remembrance of all of those who have fallen in the line of duty and in protection of our country and freedom, and particularly those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001.
While some volunteers created coloring pages for Color-A-Smile, others decorated pillowcases for Chula Vista Village at Otay Homeless Shelter. They made paracord lanyards for Operation Gratitude and cut yarn for the Magic Yarn Project. Other projects included writing thank you letters for veterans (Honor Flight), creating dog toys out of ripped t-shirts for local animal shelters, and tying quilts for Wrap the World in Quilts. They created Christmas ornaments for disaster victims (Operation Ornaments), made bracelets and painted rocks for mental health advocacy, and assembled hygiene kits for the homeless in North County. Wheels were added to wooden toy cars, bringing them one step closer to finding their new home at an orphanage in Mexico through Tiny Tim’s Foundation. Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to serve their own extended families with instruction in family history work by Family Search.
The San Diego Blood Bank was on hand as well, giving volunteers the opportunity to not just share their time and talents, but their very lifeblood in service of others.
But it wasn’t all hard work; there were raffle prizes, games, snow cones, and even the opportunity to climb on a fire engine or check out the inside of an ambulance.
Participants were enthusiastic and happy to have the opportunity to serve while having fun. Miss Vista, Serenity Serna, described it as the best community service event she’s had the opportunity to participate in. Alyssa Cranney, 15, is the secretary of the JustServe club at Mission Vista High School and was a part of the planning and execution of the event. She said, “I loved having so many different service opportunities in one place. I feel like we all made an impact on our community.”
JustServe is a free service that links community volunteer needs with volunteers and does not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in posting projects or in encouraging volunteers to serve. To learn how to volunteer, or to find volunteers for your non-profit project, go to JustServe.org.
