Ahwatukee Community Service Week kicks off Saturday, Nov. 13 at Mountain View Lutheran Church with an event for residents to meet with about 30 non-profit or service organizations and find out how one person can make a difference in the community.
The goal of Saturday's event is to match residents who want to volunteer with an organization that provides a valuable community service. Each of the 29 groups will be on hand to pass out information and talk about what they can offer.
This is the first year such an event has taken place and one of the organizers believes that it comes at the perfect time.
"There are retired people out there and high-schoolers who need community service hours and this event is designed to help them find the perfect opportunity," said Sheila Coonen, executive director of Connecting To Serve, which is sponsoring the event. "We want to identify the resources out there and communicate them to the public."
Habitat for Humanity, St. Vincent de Paul, Mission Africa and the Kiwanis Club are just some of the groups that will be on hand this Saturday.
The event will feature two speakers, Sal DiCiccio, councilman for District 6, who will speak about the importance of volunteering and Mike Richardson of Arizona Cityfest, who will talk about the season of service.
Coonen believes the importance of volunteering to be the simple fact that a person is giving up their own time to help someone else.
"It helps people realize they were created for a purpose, and that purpose is to make an impact in other's life," she said. "Everyone is capable of volunteering, but some need a place to get plugged in."
The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon at Mountain View Luther Church, 11002 S. 48th St. For more information, contact Sheila Coonen at (602) 541-7440.
