President's Day of Service

On April 13, Viterbo University held its last Service Saturday of the spring semester with the President’s Day of Service, an annual event where students from the university go out and serve the wider La Crosse community.

The events started at 7:30 a.m. with a free breakfast for all volunteers, as well as several speakers such as the student leaders, President Glena Temple, and Irene TenEyck, an adjunct instructor from the social work program. The speeches were to encourage the volunteers with their various service projects, as over 300 people volunteered their time with the President’s Day of Service.

The university sent volunteers to such places as Habitat for Humanity, Eagle Crest, the Salvation Army, the Children’s Museum, Aptiv, and the American Legion.

Miranda Myszka is a sophomore English education major who volunteered her time at the Salvation Army. She was a part of the group that went through and organized the clothing section of the store, ensuring that everything was in its proper place. Myszka found the work “very satisfying, as you can see how far you’ve come, and you can see everything that’s in the store.”

Sunny Rufsholm is a freshman music education major who volunteered her time at the Children’s Museum, helping with the face painting station. “It was fun, working with the kids,” she said.

Alyssa Flores, a sophomore dietetics major, worked at the FSPA organic garden up at the Villa on St. Joseph’s Ridge. She was helping to transplant seedlings into individual cups.

When asked as to what made her want to volunteer at the garden, Alyssa stated, “I’ve heard so many good things about the garden and I’ve never had a chance to serve there before, so it was a good opportunity.” She elaborated that she loved nature “and was looking forward to getting my hands dirty.” Other volunteers at the organic garden helped separate the rows of raspberries, cut up potatoes for seed, and harvest carrots and radishes from the garden.

The organic garden is also where Viterbo University President Glena Temple spent her time volunteering during the day of service. “My favorite place to volunteer is at the gardens with the sisters,” she explained. “I like the intersection of nature, gardening, spirituality and the history of the FSPA.”

The different groups volunteered from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m., at which time they returned to the Mathy Center for a provided lunch of vegetables, bread, and chicken. The plates as well as the utensils were all compostable, and the compost would be donated to the organic garden.

During lunch, a short, 15 minute documentary was shown concerning the different Service Saturdays over the semester, interviewing different students, organizers, and project leaders.

The next Service Saturday will take place on August 24, to begin the 2019-2020 fall semester.