Two teens from the East Valley are working to make a difference in the community by volunteering at various non-profit organizations.
Deacon Jones and Jonah Alexander, who recently graduated from high school, started volunteering as a way to earn service hours. They adopted the nickname “The Service Dudes,” and began racking up hundreds of volunteer hours and opportunities.
“We started doing things together, just me and Deacon,” Alexander said. “And then we're like, ‘Why don't we bring more friends into it?’ And so once we started to enjoy a little more with friends, we were like, ‘Oh, we can invite more people.’”
Since Jones and Alexander started The Service Dudes in January of 2022, the group has grown into double-digits.
“I figured it'd be me and Jonah most of the time,” Jones said. “The fact that, you know, it's not just me, and that I have these people to go with me and inspire me as I try to inspire them as we serve. And it's just kind of powerful thing to have people to go and serve with.”
To find volunteer opportunities, Jones and Alexander turned to JustServe.org, a website that connects non-profit organizations in search of volunteers with people who want to enhance the quality of life in their community.
“You get one of these kids connected to one of these organizations, and they're connected forever,” said Rachel Hixon, the Gilbert director for JustServe. “And they live their life, they have this new footprint, not a digital footprint. They have a service footprint that they can use for the rest of their life. It's so awesome.”
Hixon said she’s seen the positive impact The Service Dudes are making with their efforts.
“I love these boys. I love what they're doing. I just love to see youth come together and lift the community and in the process, lift them,” she said.
The day ABC15 met Jones and Alexander, they were volunteering at Gathering Humanity, making apartment kits for refugees resettling in Arizona.
“Over here, we have their communication cards. So for kids that go into school, [and] can't speak English very well, they can use these to be able to communicate, like ‘I need to do the bathroom, I don't feel well’, with their teachers and their friends, so it's a little easier,” Alexander said. “We don't know who we're helping, but we know that they're going to appreciate it. So that's always a good feeling.”
