Day of Service and Remembrance - the LDS congregations respond

By Diane Hettrick
Photos by Steven H. Robinson

The LDS Church heard the President’s call to make September 11 a day of service and remembrance and responded with community volunteer projects around the world. In Western Washington alone, 190 congregations from Centralia to Blaine fielded 6,830 volunteers to 129 projects.

Locally, the seven congregations of the Shoreline Stake – North Seattle, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Brier, Mountlake Terrace, and Puget Sound for the Hearing Impaired – had 300 volunteers working on four different projects.

At the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center, 100 people spent the day making quilts for the Linus Project of Snohomish county. The volunteers completed 72 quilts and cut out and pinned the pieces for an additional 24.

Project Linus says “…our mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans…" For more information about the local Linus project, contact Diane at 425-252-4524.

130 volunteers went to the Shoreline Children’s Center Community Park to remove weeds from the asphalt play area and pull blackberry vines from the grounds. They restored the walking path by cleaning it and laying down and packing new gravel.

Jenny Parks, principal of the Children’s Center, said: “What a wonderful way to give back to the community and spread good will on the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.”

In Snohomish County, 50 people did yard maintenance and cleaned the roof and gutters at the South Snohomish County Family Support Center in Lynnwood.

Tim Gahm, Program Manager of the Family Support Center, said,

“The mission of the Family Center is to support individuals and families and to promote a healthy, safe, supportive, and thriving community through dedicated service and partnerships. Although we are a staff of only 4-persons we were able to serve more than 8,000 members of our community during the past year.

"Our work is supported by a very modest budget and given the breadth of our mission, little time is left us to maintain our facility to the degree we would like. Speaking for the staff of the Family Center, we wish to offer you our deepest appreciation for your support “

15 volunteers went to help at the regular Saturday morning event at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood where they assisted with serving breakfast, cutting hair, distributing clothing and other tasks for the people who seek assistance at the church each week.

Jim Smith, Councilman for the City of Lynnwood, helps staff the Take Away Food program at Trinity. Anyone can go through the line for breakfast but if they have greater need they go through an assessment and can receive a ticket to pick up a small bag of food. Jim said that he and his wife are at the church every Saturday that they can make it, handing out food.

The woman operating the Clothing Give-Away said they have a need for men's heavy duty pants (denim and canvas), sleeping bags, men's socks and men's underwear. She made a request for a pair of size 15 boots or shoes for one patron whose shoes have given out.

The LDS volunteers are so pleased with their Day of Service that they are planning to make it an annual event.