Buena Vista University

Ten Education for Service (EFS) scholars hit the ground running upon their August arrival on campus as freshmen. The group is pioneering a new, large-scale scholarship program at Buena Vista University (BVU).

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip to Atlanta during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on human trafficking.

Six Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on tackling hunger and food sustainability in Waco, Texas.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on sustainable social and economic development in Los Fierros, Nicaragua.

Buena Vista University (BVU) student Amanda Miley has been named as a Newman Fellow in recognition of her exemplary volunteer service.

Cristena Heschke, a Buena Vista University (BVU) junior elementary education major from Alta, was named a Newman Fellow in recognition of her exemplary volunteer service. She is one of 273 students nationally who were given the honor by the service organization Campus Compact, for which she was nominated directly by BVU President Fred Moore.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) participants took part in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on tackling poverty and serving youth in Eagle Butte, S.D.

Eleven Buena Vista University (BVU) participants took part in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on sustainable social and economic development in Los Fierros, Nicaragua.

Nine Buena Vista University (BVU) participants took part in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on social, economic, environmental and racial justice issues in New Orleans.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on treating injured animals in Hubert, N.C.

Ten Buena Vista University students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on environmental conservation and permaculture lifestyle in Las Marias, Puerto Rico.

Ten Buena Vista University students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on inner city poverty and homelessness outreach in Washington D.C.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service in Deland, Fla., with a focus on training canine companions for those with disabilities.

Nichole Wiese, a senior elementary education major from Dike, was among 218 students from across the nation chosen by Campus Compact to receive the 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award.

Victoria Carson received honors for outstanding civic engagement and service-learning from Iowa Campus Compact. She received honorable mention for the Iowa College AmeriCorps Program Member of the Year.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, volunteering their time and service in Atlanta, Georgia, with a focus on inner-city poverty outreach.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, volunteering their time and service in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a focus on disaster relief and clean up.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, volunteering their time and service in Nicaragua with a focus on grassroots sustainability and economic development .

Buena Vista University senior, Bonnie Keller, chosen to receive the National Campus Compact's Newman Civic Fellows Award for service to the community.

Sloan Morrow, a junior elementary education major from Fort Dodge, was recently honored at Buena Vista University's (BVU) student recognition event.

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, volunteering their time and service at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, with a focus on being a part of the animal advocacy movement through direct outreach.

Twelve Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on hunger and health outreach in Staten Island, N.Y. BVU students traveled to Staten Island, N.Y., where they partnered with two organizations. Project Hospitality focuses on hunger, homelessness and outreach to individuals with HIV/AIDS, and Tunnels2Towers concentrates on Hurricane Sandy relief work. Students completed a remodeling project on a home affected by the storm and worked at a food pantry, stocking shelves and helping people shop. After a workshop for people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, students served and shared meals with people affected by the disease at the Positive Living Dinner event. Area students who participated in the trip include:

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on environmental research and animal rescue in Costa Rica. Students concerned with environmental issues and conservation traveled to Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula to volunteer at the Widecast Sea Turtle Station, where they netted, weighed and tagged turtles, and collected tissue samples to check the endangered sea turtles for parasites before releasing them back to the ocean. They then went to a local elementary school in Matapalo, Costa Rica, where some students helped teach English and others worked to improve the playground by fixing signs, planting a garden so they can use the produce in their cafeteria, cleaning and picking up litter around the school grounds. Area students who participated in the trip include:

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on disaster relief and clean-up efforts in Greeley, Colo. Participants in the Disaster Relief trip experienced the after-effects of a weather-related disaster and gained an understanding of the long process of recovery and rebuilding when they traveled to Greeley, Colo., and assisted with cleanup efforts from last year's catastrophic flooding. Students completed a variety of cleanup tasks, worked with a local Habitat for Humanity chapter, cleared debris from a fish farm, volunteered at a food bank and helped restore a historic horse barn. Area students who participated in the trip include:

Ten Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in an AWOL (Alternative Week of Off-site Learning) trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on children and poverty in Montego Bay, Jamaica. During this trip, BVU students traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and volunteered in nearby Copse, where they assisted with many day-to-day activities at the West Haven Children's Home, an orphanage for disabled children. In addition to helping feed, bathe and get the children ready for the day, the students helped plan Sports Day, an event similar to the Special Olympics. Area students who participated in the trip include:

Seventeen science students from Buena Vista University joined over 1,000 volunteers in helping to provide free dental care to over 1,500 patients at the 3rd annual Iowa Mission of Mercy (IMOM) clinic. The following area students participated in the event.