Many of us have dreams to make a difference. It’s one thing to serve overseas but in reality, this is not an option for most people. The question is.. how can we use the gifts that God has given us to their fullest potential? For many of us, the greatest opportunity to make an impact is in our local community.

This summer I got to intern with a movement called ’serveLA’. It’s run by a guy named Adrian Koehler and their goal is to serve the community of Los Angeles. I had a chance to partner with and learn from them over the summer.. and in the process a website was born. http://www.servela.org.

The idea is really simple. They have a few people who are ‘action group leaders’. These people connect with organizations who are making a difference. Homeless shelters, community centers, outreach programs.. basically any place there is a need. In serveLA, they have partnered with close to 10 different organizations.

The result is many different avenues to serve. The variety of organizations also allows each potential volunteer to be connected where their skills/passions bring the most value.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could bring this idea to our own cities? serveTORONTO.. serveDALLAS.. serveTOKYO.. serveLONDON. The idea could work in any major city around the world..

I talked with Adrian, and he is pretty excited about the idea spreading to other cities. The website for serveLA is based off a WordPress template, so it’d be really easy to customize. If you are interested in setting up something similar in your own city, please get in touch! I’d love to help make it happen.