Primary children across the Peralta Trail Arizona Stake brought joy and light to their community by planning and hosting a free car wash and toy drive in Mesa, Arizona, on Sept. 11.
The car wash was complete with fresh lemonade, colorful signs, clean cars and handmade air fresheners shaped like suns and stars, each tagged with the phrase “Let your light shine” (see Matthew 5:16). Visitors to the car wash were met with wide smiles and left with full hearts as they had the opportunity to donate toys for the children’s hospital as well, organizers shared with JustServe.
Fifty-five cars were washed, eight gallons of lemonade were served, 63 air fresheners were handed out, 49 toys were donated and 48 children participated throughout the day.
“The joy and principles taught by serving others is priceless,” Liane Merrill, Peralta Trail Stake Primary president, told JustServe.
At the beginning of 2025, the Primary general presidency invited all Primary organizations to participate in an annual service project to continue the 147 year legacy of serving in the community.
“We hope this worldwide effort will help children realize they are an important part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and can contribute in meaningful ways,” the statement said. “As the children serve, they will grow in their love for the Savior and feel joy as they share His love with others.”
While these children in Arizona were sharing their love, Primary children of the Albuquerque New Mexico Stake were completing their own acts of service.
The Primary children rallied other members of the stake to perform acts of service all over the community in the weeks leading up to their 9/11 service project.
Members of the Relief Society, elders quorum, Young Women and Young Men classes and quorums added colorful pom-poms to a jar for each act of service they reported. As the jar grew and grew, it became a reminder of the joy found in serving others around them.
On Sept. 11, children, leaders and families assembled service bags with food, toiletries, diapers, wipes and other essentials for the New Mexico Dream Center. The center supports children and teens experiencing homelessness or are escaping unsafe situations.
Likewise, the Primary children took the late Church President Gordon B. Hinckley’s counsel during the April 1995 general conference to “do a little better” and “roll up our sleeves.”
The children assisted in repairing the fence, rebuilding and staining the deck, and refinishing the kitchen cabinets. The Primary took part in all aspects of the project.
“The kids worked so hard all summer to prepare and gather donations,” said Callie Bowers, JustServe area specialist. “They had an amazing time and were able to do so much good for the Dream Center.”
Both the New Mexico Dream Center and the children were impacted by the joy of this service event, organizers reported.
“Serving at the Dream Center made me feel so happy inside,” said Luke Bowers, age 11. “Seeing all the donations, all the work and help they needed reminded me that even something small can make a big difference. I’ll never forget how good it felt to help them and know they felt loved.”
Both of these activities were in conjunction with the JustServe 9/11 Day of Service. Each September, communities pause to reflect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and offer hope, healing and a sense of gratitude. Each service opportunity stands as a way to honor the past and build a better future.
In the JustServe Report on Sept. 11, they said these projects “reminded us that service is a powerful unifier which binds communities together, turns pain into purpose, and honors the sacrifices of those who came before us.”
