Snowballs and Carols Highlight Arizona Youth Christmas in July Event

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By Mary Richards, Church News

Prescott Valley, in northern Arizona, gets several inches of snowfall a year — usually in the months of December, January and February. But this year, youth and senior citizens had a snowball fight in July.

The snowballs were not the cold and wet type; they were large white pompoms, and the activity was part of a Christmas in July event where youth visited the Glassford Senior Living Center.

It was special for the seniors and brought joy to both generations, said Glaucia Faraoni-Bross from the Antelope Meadows Ward. “That was service at its best.”

The new friends started by singing Christmas carols, followed by the snowball fight, other games, visiting and treats.

LaDawn Dalton, the JustServe specialist in the Prescott Valley Arizona Stake, said there was a large turnout and it was a wonderful event — “Easy to have and amazing. The kids were great.”

Isaac Howden, 16, from the Antelope Meadows Ward, said the Christmas in July project was special to him because, through service, he grew a lot closer to several of his friends that day.

“It was fun for everyone,” Isaac said. “It is a unique sort of service that all you have to do is show up.”

The event capped a summer of service for the youth through JustServe, which is a website and app where organizations list their needs and where volunteers can find service opportunities near them.

Other projects during the summer included a speed friendshipping event at a women’s potluck luncheon, sewing blankets for Project Linus and a clothing donation drive where the youth brought their own clothing to donate to peers in need in another community. Youth also packed items for a local diaper bank charitable organization and wrote cards to first responders.

Each project involved a way for the youth to do something for someone else. And Faraoni-Bross said the service brought joy to the hearts of the givers and the receivers.

“Service is what we will all be doing when Jesus returns; why not start now?” she said.

Isaac said, “Service is one of the most important things in my life, and I hope that more and more people keep coming to share the blessings.”

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