Mayor issues proclamation for community service week

Fallon Mayor Ken Tedford issued a proclamation Wednesday declaring the week of April 16-21 as “JustServe Community Service Week” to promote volunteerism and service to the Churchill County community and recognize the organization’s website as an invaluable tool.

“At least 20 organizations will have volunteer projects,” said Loni Faught, spokeswoman for the local The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Faught said among the projects scheduled for next week include painting trim at Epworth United Methodist Church and construction of garden boxes, painting at Oats Park and at the Regional Park near the indoor swimming pool and cemetery cleanup. She said JustServe and the city of Fallon have teamed up next week for combined projects that also include helping the city with removing heavy items during the annual cleanup of Keep Fallon Green, painting the park, building wildlife habitat through the Nevada Department of Wildlife, volunteering to greet guests and give passports at Churchill County Middle School’s International Night or running in a 5K event to support foster children in Churchill County.

Faught said the combined volunteer activities are signified by logos from the city and JustServe. She added many other activities, both for next week and the future, are also listed on the website at justserve.org.

“Volunteers can sign up for any of the projects,” she said, “including specific projects for next week.”

As of Thursday, 51 opportunities are offered within 5 miles of Fallon.

Once prospective volunteers log on to the website, Faught said they will find contact information under “About Us.” After volunteers fill in information and send the email, a point of contact from the specific project initiates contact with the individual.

JustServe, a service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first started in Churchill County 18 months ago, but this is the first “JustServe Community Service Week” for the community. Faught said she envisions this volunteer week to become an annual event, but when residents think of volunteerism, she hopes prospective volunteers automatically think of JustServe.

Terra Koenig, a volunteer with the JustServe program, outlined the program last week to the Churchill County Commissioners. She said this is a free resource connected with volunteer opportunities in local communities.

“It’s free for the community,” Faught said. “How does it get any better than that?”

Koenig said schools, government agencies, churches and nonprofit organizations always need volunteers.

Tedford agreed.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community,” he said after presenting the proclamation and posing with Faught and Koenig for a photograph.

The proclamation stated, in part, volunteers enhance the quality of life in a community and help organizations in their charitable efforts.

“The city of Fallon acknowledges that the best service opportunities are collaborative in nature — when people of different backgrounds, faiths, and experiences in a community reach out and work side by side to assist faith-based, nonprofit, community and government organizations.”

Furthermore, the proclamation recognizes the physical, emotional, spiritual and financial benefits that result when individuals give of themselves in service to others.