Midland students, faculty, and staff will have the opportunity to integrate themselves into the Fremont community during Midland Outreach & Volunteer Engagement (MOVE) week, October 23-28.
Numerous volunteer opportunities are available at several different Fremont community organizations throughout the week. “This is a great way for us to get to know our neighbors and be a part of the community,” said Lisa Kramme, Director for Campus Ministry and Spiritual Wellness. “There are so many organizations doing great things in the Fremont area, and there is a great need for volunteers within these organizations.”
Midland has taken part in Mission Day over the past several years. Mission Day was held in April and provided a day where the Midland family would help organizations and individuals across the area. When visualizing what MOVE week would look like, Kramme believed having something in the fall semester would be more beneficial for everyone involved.
“It gives us the chance to familiarize ourselves with these organizations earlier in the school year,” she said. “We also feel like the spring semester is so busy, and we didn’t want to be rushed, so the timing of moving this to the fall made sense.”
The organizations taking part include Fremont Area United Way, Aspire for Greatness, Dodge County Head Start, Fremont Housing Agency, Uniquely Yours Stability Support, Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity & Homestore, Thriftology, and Care Corps Lifehouse Shelter. Community work will involve a variety of projects, including packaging food, working with children ranging from preschool to high school students, or painting with senior citizens. Kramme said there are nearly 400 different ways to serve, and some might take as many as 50 people, while others only need a couple.
“These organizations want to get to know people in the community and share with them the services they provide,” Kramme said. “For our Midland family, it’s an opportunity to see all the great work that is being done. It truly gives us a chance to live out our mission which is to inspire people to learn and lead in the world with purpose.”
Two of Midland’s core values are stewardship and respect, and Kramme believes there is no better example of living out those values than by helping others. “Stewardship is reflected in us giving of our time and energy to others and sharing our gifts, and volunteer work based on respect is a way to exhibit being in good healthy relationships with the community,” she said.
Kramme is hopeful that being involved and educated about these community organizations will not just be a week of helping but a lifetime of appreciation and support.
“When people have opportunities to get out into the community and be engaged, they might discover organizations that will interest them,” she said. “They might serve at these places and realize they want to continue helping them, be that through involvement or financial support.”
Interested volunteers can sign up by downloading the Helper Helper app and picking one of the many available opportunities. Kramme added it would be beneficial to sign up at least a week in advance so the organizations know how many volunteers to plan for. For any questions, contact Kramme at krammel@midlandu.edu.
