Calvin to Dedicate Special Place

May 3, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY

While building dedications are pretty common on college campuses, a Tuesday,
May 4 dedication ceremony slated for Calvin College will feature something a
little different.

At 3:30 pm that day Calvin will dedicate a van. But not just any van say
college administrators.

This van represents, for some Calvin students, equal access.

That's because the full-size Ford conversion van has been retrofitted by a
local company to be completely wheelchair accessible. And Calvin is now using
the van to accommodate students who use wheelchairs for off-campus academic
field trips and residence life excursions.

The vehicle was purchased by the college's Campus Accessibility Advisory
Committee with a donation from Doug and Lois Nagel contributing most of the
costs. The van was delivered to Calvin in January 2004 and already has been
used on several occasions.

On May 4, to celebrate the van's significance for students, staff, faculty,
and guests with disabilities, Calvin will join with the Nagels and others on
campus for a brief service of dedication on the Chapel plaza.

Calvin's Karen Broekstra says the service will be a fitting way to mark the
van's significance on campus.

"The van dedication demonstrates the positive impact on a community such as
Calvin when individuals collaborate with one another in the spirit of
inclusion," she says.

Contact Karen Broekstra at 616-526-6113

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Received on Mon May 3 12:11:11 2004