Ann Lobos can find a way to make anything into a service project because she believes, “If you’re here on the earth, you should make it a better place.” As a College and Career Awareness teacher at Joel P. Jensen Middle School in West Jordan, she teaches various topics throughout the year and she fits in a service element into every one.

During the sewing skills unit, her students sew hats for the homeless. During the graphic design unit, her students digitally design a card for veterans or a mug for a teacher appreciation gift. Her manufacturing pathway students design an assembly line for making PB&J sandwiches for the homeless. When students choose her classroom for JPJMS’s daily 30-minute intervention time, they assemble the sandwiches, or color the veterans’ cards or make pompoms for the hats.

And when students needed tickets to play games at the quarterly citizenship reward party, Lobos offered a few to anyone who wrote a thoughtful note to be delivered with the sandwiches.

“I wish that there was more service integrated into schools, because the kids are there and sometimes they're not doing the most productive things, so we could have them do something that's doing, giving, making the world a better place,” Lobos said.

Ann Lobos’ service groups make stuffed animals and fuzzy hats for children in need. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

For several years, Lobos has hosted family service nights at local libraries, but now that she teaches at  Joel P. Jensen Middle School, she hosts them there. They are held the second Monday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. Community members often find out about the activities through JustServe or word of mouth. There is always something for young kids to help with. Families express appreciation of having a service project their family can do that they don’t have to organize themselves. Lobos loves to see families spending time together and teaching their kids about serving others.

“For me, it's as much about the project we're donating as it is the people,” she said. “Because if you come to the event and see the people at the events, it's about the dad sitting there next to the son, sewing on a button, right? I get a little emotional, because it's cute, because it's about the family doing stuff together.”

Lobos also hosts a 12-18 Youth Service activity, every first Monday of the month from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at her school. Students who are earning service hours for National Honor Society come from all over the valley to participate. A Bingham High student who used to be a regular at the family service nights now comes to the youth activities.

“It feels good to do something and make a difference and do something good with your time,” she said.

Lobos said the open community service activities are two-fold. “It's doing something that's going to help someone else, but it's also having people sitting there next to each other and chatting and meeting someone they may not have met somewhere else,” she said.

The projects are mainly funded by Shaun Michel through the South Jordan Rotary Club (of which Lobos is a member and past president) and they mostly benefit local communities. “There's a lot of people in our state that need help, and so I try really hard to keep those projects in the state,” Lobos said.

Volunteers, including Lobos’ mom Joann Taylor, made stuffed animal bunnies and ducks to fill Easter baskets given to immigrant families. “We'll have a stuffed animal in there, and we fill tons of Easter eggs,” Lobos said. “Kids really have a lot of fun filling the Easter eggs with candy and stuff.”

Eighth grader Madeline Young is a regular at the youth service activities and a member of the JPJMS service club. In the last year and a half, she has helped make countless hats, stuffed animals and blankets.

“I always think the blanket one is good, because I know someone's going to get one, and it'll probably make them happy,” she said.

Madeline likes knowing she’s helping organizations that help people in need.

“I think we take a lot off their load by helping out,” she said.

She believes her small efforts can make a big difference.

 “Something that I always try to remember is, even smiling at someone can make someone's day, and they can go on to help someone else,” she said. “I think with the hats, it's going to make someone else's life easier, and they might be able to help someone else because a bit of their time will be freed up. And just seeing other people serve others kind of motivates me to serve others, too.”

Madeline Young, a member of JPJMS’s service club and a regular at the monthly Youth Service activity, sews hats for homeless children. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)