JustServe.org volunteers assist with Cheney schools weed control

Part of being a community means watching out for each other. It means striving to improve our quality of life and the quality of life of those around us.

JustServe.org is a resource made available to communities by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Schools, civic organizations and non-profits can post community service opportunities on JustServe.org. Those who register at JustServe receive an email when a project near them is added to the website.

When Rick Mount, a former Cheney Public Schools board of directors member, became aware that less funding was available for maintenance, he knew he would need to get some help.

In an effort to assist, Mount reached out to a community member who he knew had been involved with JustServe.org., and that set everything in motion.

Jeff McClure, school district maintenance director, said, "I was approached by a JustServe.org representative, Maureen Moberly, and was offered to present local service projects to our community volunteers. Basically, we asked for volunteers through the JustServe website. We definitely needed help with weed control this year."

"Honestly, I was skeptical at first," McClure admitted. "But the response was amazing, probably close to 300 volunteers total over several weekends throughout the summer."

The largest volunteer turnout was on Aug. 27, where about 175 people of all ages participated in weeding at five schools. Cheney Middle School, Cheney High School, Betz Elementary, Westwood Elementary and Windsor Elementary all benefited from these efforts.

Jared Barr, a volunteer from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, "We started about an hour late, but it was all good. Six of us got together and went to the school, picked up weeds, and worked to get the playground especially good looking. It was fun. I always feel good when I can help people."

This was only one of several weekends in which local community members offered up their time to help clean school grounds. Just a few weeks prior, several community members performed weeding at Snowdon Elementary.

McClure said, "Having the grounds look good for our community is a constant battle with limited resources." He expressed gratitude toward everyone who took the time to help. "The schools looked great to start the first day."

McClure was very pleased with the overall results of the project. "It went so well I re-submitted for every Saturday through the school year. The district is extremely appreciative of our local volunteer army and their willingness to donate their personal time," McClure said.

If you would like to volunteer your time on this, or any other local project, you can find more information at http://www.JustServe.org.

Kamerra Foster is a member of the Young Single Adult Ward in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Cheney.