SANDPOINT — Like many teens, Sandpoint High School senior Jens Lopez has a lot on his plate. 

Between juggling school, piano lessons, a job, and college applications, the 17-year-old has limited free time. However, community service remains a priority for Lopez. 

"It's worth it," said Lopez. "Not only do you see yourself helping others, but you can see the impact that it has on others." 

Wanting to share the joy of service with their peers, Lopez and fellow SHS senior Sarah Wolff founded the Just Serve Club, a SHS student organization that connects students with local service projects. 

Since the club's founding last year, students have completed a variety of service projects, including putting together Thanksgiving Day bags for families in need, making chemo hats for children with cancer, filling Easter eggs for the Lions Club, creating Valentine’s cards for the elderly, and writing thank-you notes to teachers and staff at SHS. 

More recently, the club donated children’s books to Kootenai Hospital to encourage mothers to read to their new babies — a project that Lopez said helped him see the power of service. 

After asking the East Bonner County Library and the Coeur d'Alene Public Library for help, the club was able to donate 100 children's books along with 100 colored bookmarks to the Kootenai Hospital Labor and Delivery Unit. 

Roughly 30 students in the club colored the bookmarks during lunch time before club officers delivered the items to Kootenai Hospital. Each bookmark read: "Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader," a phrase Lopez said his father says often. 

"We decided that coloring bookmarks would be a fun activity that kids could do to be a part of that, so we printed out the bookmarks and took them to school during lunch one day and colored them all," said Lopez. 

In a letter to each mother, Lopez wrote, "When I was little, my mom read to me all the time, and looking back, I know that was a special time together. It is a big reason why I am able to be successful today in school and in life." 

The letter also encouraged mothers to pick out more books at their local library to continue reading to their child as they grow. 

"I didn't realize how appreciated they would be or how thankful they would be," Lopez said of the doctors who received the items. "I think by just dropping them off with all the other officers, we were able to see the actual impact that we had." 

When they first founded the club, Lopez and Wolff recognized there would be some roadblocks.  

"We have the National Honors Society at our school, but you have to have a certain GPA to be in that. Then the Interact Club does service outside of school," said Lopez. 

Many students had extracurricular activities, preventing them from attending service projects after school. 

So, Lopez and Wolff proposed holding service projects during lunchtime.

"I wanted to try to make a club that did the service during school hours. That way, the people with sports or jobs could do the service," said Lopez. 

It worked. For thirty minutes during lunch, students could still participate in service projects without having to sacrifice time outside of school. 

Lopez said all students are invited to become members of the club. 

"There's no exclusion. Everyone's welcome," said Lopez. 

Lopez said his favorite part of being club president is watching other peers experience the joy of service, while seeing how much the community benefits from it. 

In Lopez's experience, no service project is too small. 

"It can just be super simple, like writing a note or even if it's just in the community, just holding the door open because you don't know what's happening in that person's life so it could just make their day a whole lot better," said Lopez.