Central College volunteers will participate in more than 60 community service projects April 21. The college has been recognized for proven community engagement and commitment to community service. Last year, more than 700 volunteers participated in Service Day.
Central College students, faculty and staff will participate in more than 60 community service projects in central Iowa for Service Day April 21. Since 2006, the college has set aside a day each year to connect members of campus to each other and dozens of community partners — for everyone’s benefit, says director of community-based learning Cheri Doane.
Central’s Center for Community-Based Learning has organized half- and full-day projects for more than 700 volunteers. Last year, about 650 students and 70 faculty and staff members participated.
In Pella, volunteers will help prepare for Tulip Time, spruce up retirement communities, get Pella Aquatic Center ready for outdoor swimming and pick up trash along Highway 163. Other projects include cleaning exhibits at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, removing invasive species at Lake Red Rock and mounting a mural at the Centre for Arts and Artists in Newton.
Several professors will lead students in projects related to their fields. Students interested in special education will visit Courage League Sports in Des Moines with professor of education Esther Streed to work one-on-one with adults with disabilities. First-year students who helped design murals for Homestead of Knoxville will help paint the assisted living facility library with associate professor of art Mat Kelly, and associate professor of exercise science John Roslien’s angling class will take local seventh graders fishing.
Several other groups at Central will take also advantage of opportunities to serve with teammates and colleagues. The men’s basketball team will build houses with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity, and alumni relations staff members will organize donations for Young Women’s Resource Center in Des Moines. Russ Goodman, assistant women’s soccer coach and associate professor of mathematics, will lead the women’s team to help set up Sprigs-n-Sprouts, a nonprofit Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) garden.
“For me, it’s something I love doing anyway,” Goodman said. “Part of what I learned as an adult is the importance of serving others. That’s the mindset I want students to have. When other people need help, part of our job as citizens is to serve others — and this is a very enjoyable way of doing it, too. You get out of class, get outside and get your hands dirty.”
Central was recognized in January for proven community engagement, receiving the Community Engagement Classification from Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The college was also named a finalist for the 2014 President’s Award for Community Service, the highest national honor a higher education institution can receive for commitment to community service.
More than 40 Central College courses include community-based learning components, and students serve around the world through Central’s study abroad programs. Also, staff members can receive paid time off for community volunteer work.
Central parents, alumni, friends and anyone who would like to participate in Service Day can R.S.V.P. to the Center for Community-Based Learning at ivolunteer@central.edu or 641-628-5424. Please include the name, time and location of the project for which you would like to volunteer.
