Cody Holtgrewe Continues AmeriCorps Service from Afar
When school went online for the balance of the semester, Holtgrewe went home to the Buena Vista county community of Newell and wondered about his Education for Service Program.
Sophomore Cody Holtgrewe wasn’t sure what would become of his AmeriCorps service when Buena Vista University closed campus in late March, sending students home to complete the second semester in online instruction, a precaution the University took to protect the health and safety of students and the larger campus community.
Holtgrewe is one of 18 students in BVU’s landmark Education for Service initiative, where students contribute to their community through 300 hours of annual service as part of the program. Holtgrewe assisted with activities and visited with residents at Methodist Manor, an assisted-living complex for seniors in Storm Lake. He also coached young people in basketball through Storm Lake’s CommUnity Education organization.
“I would complete five hours of service in our community each week,” Holtgrewe says. “But, I got much more out of it than that. I got to know quite about my community and the people in it.”
“Our residents like seeing a familiar face even if it’s covered with a mask.”
Cody Holtgrewe
When school went online for the balance of the semester, Holtgrewe went home to the Buena Vista county community of Newell and wondered about his Education for Service Program.
“I didn’t know if I’d be able to continue my service in the community,” he says.
That’s when Elizabeth Multerer, Education for Service Scholars Program Coordinator, and Dr. Ashley Farmer-Hanson, Assistant Vice President of Student Success & Director of Community Engagement, reached out and helped direct Holtgrewe and dozens of BVU AmeriCorps members, 35 in total. In Holtgrewe’s case, he was pointed toward Diane Johnson, Activity Director/Volunteer Coordinator of the Good Samaritan Society in Newell, as she sought assistance in delivering Meals on Wheels on weekdays.
“I had delivered Meals on Wheels during high school,” Holtgrewe says. “I told Diane I could help out. So, I’ve been delivering Meals on Wheels Monday through Friday since late March.”
Holtgrewe says he enjoys briefly visiting with and checking in on seniors who receive the Meals on Wheels service in Newell.
“Our residents like seeing a familiar face even if it’s covered with a mask,” says Holtgrewe, who dons a surgical mask to protect himself and his Meals on Wheels recipients in the midst of the pandemic.
He will continue his work in the community this summer through an internship set up with CommUnity Education in Storm Lake. Holtgrewe, a digital media major, plans to lead groups of children at The Bridge in Storm Lake as they complete a host of daily activities during June and July.