Buenafication Day Set for May 1

The University's beloved tradition will conclude with a new "Strike Out Hunger" can drive, which is being held in conjunction with the BVU baseball game that is scheduled for May 1 at 6 p.m. versus Loras College.

Buena Vista University will hold its 105th Buenafication Day on May 1. For this annual day of service and fun, classes are not scheduled to allow students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to volunteer their time for service activities on campus and throughout the Storm Lake and surrounding communities. 

The University’s beloved tradition will conclude with a new “Strike Out Hunger” can drive, which is being held in conjunction with the BVU baseball game that is scheduled for May 1 at 6 p.m. versus Loras College. The community is invited to cheer on the Beaver baseball team and bring a canned good or donation to help fight hunger and food insecurity in the Storm Lake area. 

The day will kick off with an opening ceremony at J. Leslie Rollins Stadium on the BVU campus, before students depart for a morning of campus and community service projects. Activities include spring clean-up projects, interacting with residents at Otsego Place and children in classrooms, caring for dogs at TLC Animal Shelter, planting a garden at The Bridge of Storm Lake, and sprucing up local parks. 

This year’s Buenafication Day comes days before the official inauguration of Dr. Joshua D. Merchant, BVU’s 18th president, which will take place on Friday, May 4. 

“Buenafication Day is especially celebratory in nature this year since it kicks off inauguration week,” said Dr. Ashley Farmer-Hanson, assistant dean for student life and director of civic engagement at BVU. “We are also very excited to have area school districts be a part of one of our most beloved campus traditions. Buenafication Day is an opportunity to come together and to celebrate the community through service.” 

This year, BVU has partnered with Storm Lake St. Mary’s School, Alta-Aurelia Community Schools, and the Storm Lake Community School District (SLCSD). Service projects include picking up trash, planting trees, packaging toothbrushes, working alongside BVU students, and washing fire trucks.    

“We are extremely excited to partner with Buena Vista University this year for Buenafication Day activities,” said Gayle Strom, who is a music educator at Storm Lake St. Mary’s School. “Our focus is on strong academics as well as educating our students to be great contributing members of society. This mission of being volunteers and serving others aligns well because this is also a focus of BVU. It takes many hands to make Storm Lake beautiful and we are proud to be doing our part.” 

Tina Gress, who is the curriculum director at SLCSD, added, “The Storm Lake Community School District is looking forward to joining BVU to partake in Buenafication Day. We are excited about the opportunity to give back to our community – this one day of volunteering is one act of showing thanks to those who give so much to SLCSD every day.”     

Service opportunities will extend beyond the Storm Lake community to Alta, where students will clean area fence lines, paint, pick up rocks, and rake leaves. 

“We feel as though this day of service gives students an opportunity to contribute to their communities, who in turn support us throughout the school year,” said Belinda Shea, who is the school counselor at Alta-Aurelia Community Schools. “Encouraging our students to participate in community service is a way for them to begin the process of being a productive citizen in the community in which they live. It also provides great learning opportunities outside of the regular school classroom.” 

In the afternoon, BVU students will package meals for families in the Storm Lake area. Many others will contribute to the Sole Hope project by creating shoes and assembling medical kits for individuals in Uganda who suffer from a foot parasite called jiggers. The day will conclude with outdoor activities and the Strike Out Hunger can drive. 

More than 50 BVU departments and student organizations have signed up to volunteer throughout the day in the Storm Lake and Alta communities. The day is being sponsored by BVU’s Office of Civic Engagement, Campus Ministry, and the Iowa College AmeriCorps Program. 

Last year, an estimated 1,200 volunteers logged 3,600 hours of community service on Buenafication Day.

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