MOVE Week Provides Education, Awareness Opportunities for Midland University
More than 100 Midland University students, faculty, and staff were on the MOVE October 23-28 as part of Midland Outreach & Volunteer Engagement week.
Nearly 175 hours of volunteer work in the Fremont community were completed by 125 Midland students, faculty, and staff.
Lisa Kramme, Director for Campus Ministry & Spiritual Wellness, helped orchestrate the new project. In the past, Midland has participated in Mission Day in the spring, but a new approach to working with community partners provided new education and awareness opportunities for the Midland and Fremont communities.
“I’ve been hearing throughout the community that our Midland family was very helpful,” Kramme said. “It’s a great way to educate these volunteers about these great organizations we have in Fremont, and hopefully, they will be more inclined to serve in the future.”
Kramme said she heard from several Midland volunteers who described MOVE week as an eye-opening experience. “I had one person tell me they never realized how interactive the Midland and Fremont communities are,” she said. “They explained that you see that life can be more than just worrying about yourself. There are people struggling out there, and seeing people come together to help other people they don’t know, is very special.”
Midland partnered with eight Fremont organizations through a variety of volunteer services. Organizations included Fremont Area United Way, Aspire for Greatness, Dodge County Head Start, Fremont Housing Agency, Uniquely Yours Stability Support, Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity, Habitat Homestore, and Fremont Sixpence.
“It was a joy having Midland’s presence here,” said Brittany Brown, Education Specialist for Dodge County Head Start. “We had faculty and students helping prepare our bookworm bags for students, and we had Midland students helping in the classroom and even cleaning our bus for us.
“They were very responsive and asked questions, and we were happy to share experiences about our organization with them.”
Kramme said building strong relationships with community partners was one of the main purposes of MOVE week, and is excited for what lies ahead. “Our community partners were very welcoming of our people and very flexible to work with us,” she said. “It takes time to build that culture, and repetition is part of the process.
“What I was most impressed by was how all of this came together because of people’s willingness to be neighbors to one another. Our Midland family took the opportunity very seriously and were very positive and open to what was needing to be done. People were working together and having a great time and it was wonderful to see that interaction. Something happens when people work together that helps them bond with each other.”
