VUSM 300 Students Prepare to Run Donation Drive
From March 27 to April 27 2017, Kari Reyburn’s 300-level Viterbo University Mission Seminar (VUSM) will be running a drive to collect art supplies and toiletries to help those in need in the La Crosse community, specifically the Boys and Girls Club. The class hopes to transfer the skills they are learning in class to the world outside of the classroom and to improve the lives of those they will help.
For Reyburn’s VUSM, her purpose is to teach her students how to become a neighbor and how to make the Viterbo community neighborly to the area surrounding area. Reyburn gives her VUSM classes a charge, “find a way to give back to the neighborhood around Viterbo. Become a neighbor.” In the Fall 2016 semester, her previous class worked with the La Crosse Public Library. Brandi Shramek, a student taking this semester's VUSM states, “Viterbo University’s goal is to become a better neighbor to the surrounding community. ”
During the drive, donation boxes will be situated around campus to allow students to donate art supplies and toiletries. Some of the art supplies that will be helpful include: construction paper, markers, crayons, glue and paint. The class hopes to collect many toiletries as well. Carissa Huebner, a student enrolled in the class, states, “As for toiletries, ethnic products are a big need. These include Palmer’s Cocoa Butter lotion, Blue Magic hair grease, Carmex, Palmer’s shampoo and conditioner.”
Before making the decision to collection donations, Reyburn’s class had a speaker come in to discuss the needs of the community. Sara Rugg, a social worker for the Washburn community, and Washburn Neighborhood Resource Officers discussed where the community is lacking, including the huge need for toiletries among the local families. In response to this class visit, Huebner states “This inspired our class to visit the Boys and Girls Club where we learned about the Club’s needs. The Boys and Girls Club goes through supplies like crazy, and we wanted to help.”
Along with donation boxes, the class set up a Go Fund Me page in order to allow people that are not part of the Viterbo community to donate. The class will be working with businesses in order to obtain extra donations.
The art supplies that will be donated will go to the Boys and Girls Club, and the class is planning to do projects with the children. These art events will take place from the middle to the end of April. The art events team is currently searching for art teachers in the area to possibly lead the art events.
Huebner states, “Our class felt it was not enough to simply collect the supplies. We wanted to do more, which is how we came up with the idea to have art sessions using the supplies we collect.” These art sessions will allow these students create a connection with those living in the surrounding community.
On Thursday April 27, there will be a dinner night at the Boys and Girls Club, and this is when the class plans on handing out the toiletries they will receive.