Dozens of Dordt University students participate in Community Outreach Day

On Saturday, October 12, more than 60 Dordt University students took part in Community Outreach Day.

Students volunteered with four local organizations within the Sioux Center community: Whispers of Love Hope and Joy, the Hope Food Pantry, the City of Sioux Center, and Faith Christian Reformed Church. They helped with tasks like weeding, painting, sorting donations, and more.

Outreach Day is one of several events put on by the Community Outreach Club, a student-run club that connects Dordt students with volunteering opportunities in Sioux County.

Senior social work major Anneka Pollema has been the Community Outreach Coordinator for three years. As the leader of the Community Outreach Club, Pollema coordinated volunteering sites, recruited student volunteers, and supervised Outreach Day. Pollema and Campus Pastor Sam Ashmore have been working together to plan this event since this summer, when they chose a date and began reaching out to local organizations to see their needs.

Volunteering in the community is a great way for students to give back to the greater community, says Ashmore. “It’s part of our call as Christians to look beyond ourselves and serve others,” he adds.

On the day of the event, Pollema and the other club leaders, Meghan Bullock and Joanna DeJong, traveled from location to location and provided the volunteers with donuts donated by Casey’s bakery and energy drinks.

“It was an early morning, and seeing how willing students were to serve, that was inspiring,” says Pollema.

Other events put on by the Community Outreach Club include a Christmas donation drive and in the spring, volunteering with Enchanted Prom, an event in Sioux City for those with disabilities to participate in a prom. Last year, over 100 Dordt students attended this event.

“It is one of the best nights, every year,” says Pollema.

Outside of club events, many organizations will email Pollema with their volunteering needs, and she can pass them on to students who might be interested. The club plans to host another Outreach Day this spring.

“Even after I graduate from Dordt, Community Outreach will always be something that I cherish, and to look back on and be so thankful for that opportunity,” says Pollema.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.