When Mount Mercy students, faculty, and staff heard of the urgent need for sandbagging volunteers in the small town of Palo, Iowa, they immediately began organizing teams to lend a hand to fight the rising flood waters bearing down on that local community.

Dressed in green Mount Mercy “service” t-shirts so they were easily identifiable, the volunteers caravanned to Palo together. Shortly after their arrival, the town’s mayor issued a mandatory evacuation for all residents – but the volunteers stayed in order to fill more sandbags. In all, more than 25 volunteers participated in flood relief efforts in Cedar Rapids and the small neighboring community of Palo. The team worked tirelessly alongside many other volunteers, including U.S. Army soldiers and other emergency personnel.

Collette Nefzger, a sophomore biology major from Cedar Rapids, was excited for the opportunity to serve others. “I had wanted to help before, and so when Mount Mercy began sending people I was like ‘I’m going!’” says Nefzger, a work-study who was on campus when the caravans began departing with Mount Mercy volunteers.

Although food and drinks were provided and handed out, many volunteers found it hard to stop working. Jen Larsen, who will start in the Advance @ Mount Mercy program in the fall, continued to move sandbags as she ate a sandwich. Larsen is new to the area and simply wanted to help where help was needed. “I know if it was me I’d love for people to help. It’s a great way to bring the community together,” she says.

Brenda Steinke, coordinator of recreation and wellness, helped sandbag with her husband, son, and nephew the previous day. For her, showing the kids how to reach out to others is important. “We have to be of service to others, it’s just something we have to do,” says Steinke. “We wanted the kids to understand why we do these things.”

Other volunteers felt the call to serve for a different reason. Michelle Snitselaar’s parents were affected by the devastating tornado that ripped through Parkersburg and surrounding areas in northern Iowa less than two weeks ago. Providing service to others is now more personal for her. “You should just be there to help people because they need it,” says Snitselaar, Mount Mercy’s nurse.

Despite the continuous rain on Wednesday, the Mount Mercy team stayed upbeat and positive, often competing with each other to see who could fill the most sandbags before all volunteers had to be evacuated due to the rising waters. The team headed back to campus in order to make preparations for 200 National Guards members who are arriving to assist in the flood relief and will stay on the Mount Mercy campus.

For more information on Mount Mercy’s response to the Flood of 2008, contact the Communications & Marketing Office at 319-368-6475.

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