DAYTON, OHIO
On Saturday, March 12, more than 150 youth from the Church, under the direction of the Dayton Ohio East Stake, gathered to give other youth a lift.
One hundred teens from congregations throughout the Miami Valley volunteered at the Dayton St. Vincent DePaul Job Center, the Gateway Shelter and Daybreak, cleaning and sprucing up these facilities for the coming year.
Helping at Daybreak, an emergency homeless shelter for youth ages 12-18, deeply impacted volunteers. Touched by the plight of these young men and women, Rachel Ladle commented, "I was looking at what they had to go through and their situation — where they were staying. It made me really appreciate where I live."
Volunteering at the St. Vincent DePaul Job Center, local church leader Mark Zelnick, stated, "We are grateful to be a part of the Dayton community and consider it a pleasure to serve others. In service both the giver and receiver are blessed." The St. Vincent De Paul organization assists the homeless and those about to lose permanent shelter with a full range of options aimed at helping others become self-sustaining.
Tamar Totty, volunteer coordinator at Daybreak, also said, "We appreciate you and your church so much. It would have cost us so much to do this ourselves." A member of the Daybreak staff remarked, "I can't believe how much work you have done."
At the LDS meetinghouse in Huber Heights, Ohio, more than 50 girls and their fathers gathered donations for the Dayton Ronald McDonald House. Kathy Worthington, event organizer, said, "We wanted to bring fathers and daughters together to have fun and to give service. It's a great way to reach out to the community as Christians and serve in a simple way." Giving a place of comfort to displaced families of ill children, Ronald McDonald House staff were grateful were willing to help other children.
Many of the youth who participated were also planning to participate in the upcoming worldwide Global Youth Service Day, April 15t-17, by writing letters to deployed soldiers and participating in managed projects in downtown Dayton. Organized locally by United Way, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. Established in 1988 and celebrated each year in more than 100 countries, Global Youth Service Day helps young people catch the vision of volunteering at a young age. The enthusiasm generated from the activity was evident. Among the volunteers, Josh Bedell, Hannah Abbott and Jacob Abbott quickly agreed that the activity was fun and they would definitely do it again. "Service is the best," they said in unison.
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