With a 14-year age gap between her oldest and youngest children, Kristen Anderson — communications director for the North Carolina Charlotte Coordinating Council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is always looking for activities her whole family can participate in.
Service is one such pastime.
“It’s really hard to find activities that everybody can do together when you’ve got young kids and old kids,” Anderson said, “but you can all serve together.”
Anderson helps coordinate the North and South Carolina JustServe Summer of Service Bucket List activity, which helps families bond through service.
“We’re trying to encourage families and friends to be unified, to do things together and to follow the example of Jesus Christ in serving their neighbors and showing love,” said Anderson.
To complete the bucket list, families and groups of friends participate in three service projects found on JustServe.org and three group activities of their choice, documenting the activities with a photo. The challenge — open to both members and friends of the Church — began June 1 and will end July 15.
“I have truly enjoyed serving this summer, and what made it even more fun was doing it with friends and family,” said current Summer of Service participant Julia Ison.
This summer, Ison — along with her friends and family — has donated blood, tied fleece blankets for foster families, made meals for a refugee family and the local fire department, given rides to work and the grocery store, worked at the bishops’ storehouse and performed proxy temple ordinances.
“All these things brought me joy, closer friendships and increased my love for others,” she said.
Jazzvive Vizcarra said working on the bucket list with her brothers made their summer “unforgettable.”
“Participating in the JustServe summer bucket list last year helped me and my brothers feel more connected to our community and gave us meaningful ways to serve with purpose,” she said. “I think everyone should experience that joy.”
Anderson said the idea for a service challenge came during the COVID-19 pandemic — although it started as a bingo card for only her stake. She saw many people cooped up at home and wanted to connect them with opportunities to serve.
Now, the activity has grown to include nearly 40 stakes in North and South Carolina and transformed from a bingo card to a “bucket list,” so groups can find activities that are individualized and meaningful to them.
“It just shows that everybody can serve,” Anderson said. “Whatever your skills, times, talents, age — there’s a place for you to participate.”
