The City of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, received the designation of a global JustServe City on Friday, Aug. 22. This distinction came after many in the community — including the 1 millionth JustServe user — have learned the value of filling in where needed, giving of their time and connecting with others in their community.
The JustServe platform is a free website and app where community organizations list their service needs and volunteers can find service opportunities around them.
The JustServe City designation honors cities with an exceptional commitment to volunteering.
After The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched the JustServe platform in 2012, it is now available in 17 countries, is accessible in five languages and has 1 million users worldwide.
JustServe City
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter said in a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org that he believes the city’s success comes from its people.
“We’re lucky,” he said, “because we are a community that really has a social conscience. And I think that what’s happened is people are seeing where they can serve. It’s about volunteerism, it’s about fellowship, it’s about inspiration, it’s about hope, it’s about bringing communities together.”
Representatives from JustServe — including JustServe’s global manager, Heath Bradley — visited Oshawa on Friday, Aug. 22, to thank Carter for his leadership.
“When we were looking at our JustServe cities [and asking] who’s doing an outstanding job at not just doing service but talking about the principle of what it means and how important it is, your name came to the top of that list,” Bradley told the mayor.
Carter’s own life as a recovering alcoholic has helped him learn the value of selfless service.
“I lived on the streets, and 34 years later I’m a mayor of a city,” he said. “Who could have ever imagined that? I’m so blessed. I’m a living example of people that have been compassionate and kind for no other reason, except for they saw someone that was broken and lost and was living in darkness.”
JustServe project
Several recent JustServe projects in Oshawa show how the city lives up to this distinction as a JustServe city.
Children gathered on Thursday, Aug. 21, at a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to assemble boxes for other children in the hospital.
One local Church leader, Lisa Whitsitt, said the boxes were filled with activities for kids to fill their time while in the hospital.
“I think it’s wonderful to see the children serving other children, and it warms my heart that they’re excited about it.”
She added that using JustServe brings communities together “because you’re doing something that is helpful.”
“It’s when you volunteer with an organization and with other people that you are able to form friendships and be able to support that organization in their work,” she said.
Oshawa Ontario Stake President Alex Walcer said tools like JustServe lay a foundation for how to think, serve and act in ways that are going to be helpful to those who have the greatest needs.
“I think that the Lord establishes programs to teach us how to think and see things,” he said. “But I don’t think at the end of the day it’s the program that saves souls. I think it’s where our hearts are centered.”
1 millionth user
As the children worked on their project, other JustServe volunteers gathered on the shores of Lake Ontario, just between Toronto and Oshawa, to gather litter and trash from the sand.
Many of the volunteers became involved in the effort thanks to JustServe, where they found volunteer needs listed.
Gregory Waclawek works for A Greener Future, a local environmental nonprofit, and helped lead the effort.
While on the beach, Waclawek was awarded a certificate designating him as the 1 millionth registered user of JustServe since it launched 13 years ago.
He said JustServe has made it easy to reach out to people in different communities.
“JustServe, they make it easy to be able to show where things are happening and then also have people know about them,” he said.
