by Sara Rodriguez ’18
In an increasingly paperless era, it’s surprising when an organization does not file records via computer. The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) has relied on handwritten records for decades, but Central graduate Blake Rozendaal ‘15 recently helped the organization update its system. Rozendaal, a computer science major from Lynnville, created a volunteer management program to help DMARC keep accurate and legible volunteer records for his senior project.
Blake Rozendaal, 2015 computer science graduate, recently created a volunteer management program to help DMARC keep volunteer records.
“Our current volunteer database is dated,” said Luke Elzinga, communications manager at DMARC. “When volunteers show up, we have them sign a paper waiver, which is then put in a pile with others to be entered into an electronic database.” Because of this system, it’s common for the organization to receive waivers with unreadable or missing information.
Rozendaal’s computer program for DMARC contains three parts that will help the food pantry keep up to date and legible records. Volunteer management, time tracking and reporting solutions are all incorporated into the program, and each volunteer will have a profile. These volunteer profiles will also allow DMARC to report how many volunteer hours are donated to DMARC for federal records. “It allows us to have a database where we know every volunteer has a current waiver,” said Elzinga, “and we can easily track volunteer hours with a click of a button, rather than hours of adding up columns.”
A graduate of Central’s computer science program, Rozendaal has worked on many programming and web projects, such as designing websites for local businesses. With DMARC, Rozendaal eagerly received a new opportunity to gain work experience and take on different, challenging tasks. “Combined with my personal projects and professional experience, I have a strong portfolio of skills to leave on the desk of a potential employer,” said Rozendaal.
When Rozendaal’s program is complete, DMARC will finally have a computer recording system, and Rozendaal will take the next step in his career beyond Central. Four days after graduation, he will begin working as web application developer for Intelligent Business Solutions in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
