Calvin Residence Halls Raise $20k for Local Orgs

December 16, 2005 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Calvin College residence halls held their annual service auctions recently,
raising over $21,225 for seven Grand Rapids organizations.

Dorm residents auctioned off goods (many of them baked) and services (some of
them bizarre) to raise money for the organizations with which they partner
throughout the year.

"It's a great tradition," says Rick Zomer, associate dean of residence life at
Calvin. "The fact that a group of college students could band together and
raise $20,000 for charity is pretty impressive. I would say the service
auctions are a great example of positive contributions that students are making
to the community."

Among the beneficiaries:

$4,300 for Horizons, a Christian Learning Center program for special needs
adults.
$4,000 for after-school activities at Roosevelt Park Community Church.
$3,100 for the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood Library.
$2,600 for the after-school program at Burton Heights Middle School.
$2,600 for an after-school program for kids at the Camelot Woods apartments.
$2,425 for Kidz Klub, a math program run through Southeast Academic Center.
$2,300 for the daycare programs at Baxter Community Center.

The money is funneled back into the tutoring programs, gym nights and clubs
where, week in and week out, the Calvin residence hall students serve.

The auctions traditionally offer some ordinary goods: brownies, baked goods
and homemade dinners, jewelry, pillows and drawings, to name a few. It is in
the area of the service, however, that the auction offerings skew toward the
creative and beyond. There are the usual dates with individuals or groups,
services like paper editing, guitar lessons and shower cleanings, and special
events, such as a group sail on Lake Michigan or an authentic soul food dinner
for eight. And then there are items that defy easy description: a gift a day
in someone's mailbox for the entire month of January, a 48-hour vow of silence
or a bagpiper escort for a day.

"All for a good cause," says Zomer.

For the full story see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2005_06/service_auctions.htm

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Received on Fri Dec 16 09:18:33 2005