Community Plunges
Students take the "spring cleaning" Plunge at Alcott Elementary School.
The CCE coordinates three Community Plunges annually for students, staff, and alumni. Community Plunges are one-day events to engage participants in a day of service and reflection as they help our neighboring communities with short-term beautification projects, mailings, clean-ups, gardening, and organizational initiatives. The Community Plunge is one of many ways in which Otterbein College is educating our students toward responsible citizenship. Community organizations reach out to Otterbein for assistance each year. Through plunge participation, Otterbein students are able to reach back. Plunges are reciprocal win-win partnerships for the community and the college. Neighboring organizations have many more hands to put to work in service to their clients, and Otterbein students have the opportunity to learn about the community's needs and make a difference. The success of our plunges depends on the unique collaborations between Otterbein College and community agencies, non-profits, and businesses.
September: New Student Weekend Plunge
ach year during New Student Weekend, first-year students are invited to join staff, students, and alumni serving the critical needs of the community's elders, youth, needy animals, homeless, people living with AIDS, and other community residents. This plunge is a great opportunity to meet new people and learn about the Westerville neighborhood! Buses take students all over the cities of Westerville and Columbus for a morning of service with new friends, community partners, staff, and alumni. CCE has collaborated with the following organizations during past plunges: Lifecare Alliance, Material Assistance Program, Altercare Nursing Home, the Columbus Zoo, Habitat for Humanity, St. Vincent's Family, Columbus AIDS Task Force, Keep Franklin County Beautiful, Cystic Fibrosis Stair Climb, Open Shelter, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Bike Co-Op, Westerville City Schools, the Capital Area Humane Society, Children's Hunger Alliance, and Columbus Public Schools.
February: Sisters in Service Plunge
New to our plunge schedule is a February on-campus plunge for new sorority pledges. This plunge takes place in the Otterbein Campus Center, where students do crafts, mailings, and other necessary activities for our community partners.
For 2008, more than 200 Greek sorority women at Otterbein volunteered approximately 400 hours of service at 15 Columbus-area community agencies as part of the "Sisters in Service" community plunge on Saturday, Feb. 16. Some of the agencies the women assisted included Habitat for Humanity, Strategies Against Violence Everywhere, Holy Family Soup Kitchen, Columbus Literary Council, Hanby Arts Magnet School, and several churches and libraries. The event includeda keynote speech by Brianne Stewart Harman, communications director of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in Columbus.
April: The Spring Plunge
Our annual spring plunge takes more than 200 students to numerous sites in the Columbus and Westerville communities. Most of the activities at spring plunges improve the community through cleaning and yard work. This plunge is open to all students, staff, faculty, and alumni of
Otterbein who want to spend a morning together making a difference in
the community.
In 2008, volunteers assisted several agencies, including the United Methodist Children’s Home, Goodwill Columbus, Holy Family Soup Kitchen, Homeless Family Foundation, and IMPACT Safety, as well as several churches, libraries and elementary schools. At Otterbein Lake, volunteers cleared away invasive vegetation, planted native plants and installed a fence. At Hanby Arts Magnet Elementary School, volunteers assisted with the installation of new playground equipment.
For more information about our Community Plunges, please contact the Center for Community Engagement at (614) 823-1270 or email Chris Hempfling at chempfling@otterbein.edu.
