Calvin alumni have always supported the service-learning efforts of current students, most dramatically through the college’s Streetfest event, which sends out all first-year students into the local community for service during orientation.

Next March, however, the alumni association intends to raise the level of partnership through offering a joint alumni-student service project in a flood-damaged region of Boulder County, Colo.

The week-long service-learning experience will be coordinated in conjunction with World Renew’s Disaster Response Services. Earlier this year, World Renew set up two work days for Calvin alumni in Colorado; in September, that work day coincided with the one-year anniversary of the historic floods.

“The Calvin alumni board believes that this is an important partnership with World Renew that will serve to inspire other collaborations,” said John Wynbeek ’77, chair of the association board’s faith and service working group.

“We also hope this endeavor will strengthen connections between alumni and students,” he said.

Calvin’s Service-Learning Center has traditionally sent out a number of student service-learning teams during the college’s March spring break. It seemed like a natural opportunity for the center to pilot an alumni-student service trip during that time.

“Students have often rubbed shoulders with alumni on service-learning trips with World Renew in the past. We were excited to be more intentional about this in a way that will allow alumni to connect with Calvin students and students to witness people dedicated to life-long service. I anticipate a rich opportunity for deep community to form,” said Noah Kruis ’03, associate director of Calvin’s service-learning center.

Since Colorado has a sizeable Calvin alumni population, alumni board members hope that there will be a warm welcome and possible interaction with local grads during the week of the special project.

There remains much to do in Boulder County. And it is exciting to see what can be done—and learned—by generations of Calvin alumni and students.