Attention individuals and organizations in Northern Virginia! Multiple service opportunities are available in the Fairfax County area for Day to Serve, September 9-October 10. Thanks to the partnership between the Fairfax County Clergy and Leadership Council and Day to Serve, various houses of worship are joining together in unified service. If your organization has a project or need or if you are an individual or service organization looking for a way to serve -- you are invited to join neighborhood churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, and other religious institutions to serve those in need.  How you can become involved:

• Organizations Who Have a Project Needing Volunteers - As a service leader, use this opportunity to invite the houses of worship around you to join a new service project, one of your annual service activities, or another service event already on your calendar. Post your project on daytoserve.org and email ncsinterfaith@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-324-3453 to confirm your participation or ask for assistance with coordination.   
• Individuals and Organizations Searching for Volunteer Opportunities - Go to daytoserve.org and search for events on the service map or contact ncsinterfaith@fairfaxcounty.gov for information on possible opportunities to serve.

Goals for Interfaith Service:

• Supporting those in need, feeding the hungry, beautifying the environment, helping refugees, and strengthening emergency preparedness in Fairfax County.
• Sharing best practices from each house of worship to increase the effectiveness of our service in the future.
• Building unity among the houses of worship in Fairfax County as youth and adults serve side by side and meet face to face.
• Building our community resilience, the ability to bounce back, in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.

Objectives for Each Day to Serve Project:

• Join at least three partnering houses of worship in close proximity to each other (such as on the same street or within a three-mile radius) for a service activity.
• Include a minimum of 50 participants (volunteers) with balanced representation from each house of worship. Past projects have included from 50 to 250 volunteers.
• Provide meaningful service to the community, such as feeding the hungry, increasing emergency preparedness, serving the elderly, assisting refugees here and abroad, or cleaning community parks and nonprofit facilities.
• On the day of the service project, include at least one social activity for the volunteers from all houses of worship to mingle and get to know each other.

Characteristics of service activities that build unity and support community needs:

• They involve work, but they’re also fun and encourage socialization.
• They include planning by volunteers from all partnering houses of worship and meetings take place at partnering houses of worship.
• Service projects generally start, end, or take place at one central location, often inside, to avoid inclement weather.
• Planning and projects encourage opportunities for visiting among groups.
• The projects are not rushed and merely outcome driven.
• They encourage intermingling between groups.
• They involve members of each group who play visible roles.

Share this information with other organizations! Download the Day to Serve Interfaith Flyer.