Building Strength Through Service for International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day — celebrating the determination, ingenuity, creativity and progress of women — is a popular time each year for community organizations and interfaith groups to share information and become united with common goals. “Building Unity Through Community Service” is the aim of the JustServe initiative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church’s JustServe booth was a popular stop at the International Women’s Day event held in Calgary on March 2, 2019.

JustServe’s user-friendly interface connects organizations with volunteers who want to do good for the community, making the connection for free. Nancy Clayden, director of public affairs for the Calgary Alberta North Stake, led the effort to help volunteers find service projects through JustServe. She noted, “The Women’s Day setting highlighted contributions of women and their interest in paying it forward through JustServe.”

The JustServe booth was a strong magnet for those who desire to give back by volunteering. Visitors were given information to help them find a service project suited to their interests and availability. Besides the JustServe booth, a variety of other organizations were represented at the Calgary Women’s Day event, including the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Health Services, the Calgary Public Library, the Canadian Cancer Society, Immigrant Services, the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, the Mustard Seed, Humanity First, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Calgary and Vivo for Healthier Generations.

Jean B. Bingham, president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the world — encouraged the empowerment of women when she recently said, “When women work together, we can accomplish great things. There are so many areas in which we can collaborate” (in “Two Church Leaders Embark on Outreach Efforts in West Africa,” Mar. 1, 2019, newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the October 2018 general conference expressed his appreciation of women and their contributions: “My dear sisters, we need you! We ‘need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices’” (“Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel”).