StreetFest moves to one day, alums join the effort

Calvin's 19th-annual StreetFest program has a new look this year. For the first
time, all first-year students will be serving on the same day. On Thursday,
September 1, 2011, approximately 1,050 students will join with more than 200
faculty/staff and student mentors in serving at 69 sites across the Grand
Rapids area.

The theme for this year is Courageous Awakening: Opening hearts and minds to
the city.

StreetFest organizers describe the program as an on-ramp, an opportunity to
introduce students to a commitment to service and learning that is central to a
Calvin education.

"This is just the beginning," said Emily Wolffis, a Calvin senior and
StreetFest coordinator. "Students get to know a community, an agency, the city
of Grand Rapids."

"Students can start to envision themselves in the city of Grand Rapids,"
agreed Megan Kruis, associate director of Calvin's service-learning program.
"You have to be able to identify the assets of a community in order to serve
and learn. It's learning about the way they live, the way they address building
community."

Following the service projects, students will have a time of reflection. Then,
the students will return to campus for a reception on the Commons Lawn, which
will include music, food and a graffiti-reflection wall for students to share
their experiences from the day.

"It is more than just volunteering," said Wolffis. "It's not just to give;
it's to learn. It's about both parties being able to give and learn
reciprocally … It's the next level of understanding why you do what you do."

Note: Also new this year, the Calvin Alumni Association is partnering with the
service-learning center to offer StreetFest International, providing alumni
with an opportunity to serve in eight different regions of the country. From
September 2-11, alumni from Oregon to Boston will be involved with service
projects in their local communities, continuing the Calvin tradition of
"serving to learn and learning to serve."

For Calvin's recent service-learning honors, see:
http://www.calvin.edu/archive/news-releases/201101/0001.html

For more info on StreetFest, including a complete schedule and site locations,
contact Megan Kruis at 616-450-5340.

-end-

 
Received on Wed Aug 31 09:06:16 2011