Volunteers show power of community service – Herald-Whig

Posted: Aug. 25, 2017 3:40 pm

COMMUNITY service was on full display last Saturday in both Quincy and Canton, Mo.

About 600 volunteers wearing "#FORQUINCY" T-shirts spread out over about 40 locations in Quincy doing a wide variety of projects, including cleaning public areas, mulching in parks, visiting with residents of the Illinois Veterans Home and raising money for three local families in need.

Meanwhile, nearly 350 volunteers worked at about 20 sites in the Canton area as part of Culver-Stockton College's eighth annual Extreme Dome Makeover. Work completed by C-SC students, staff members and community residents included landscaping, painting, washing windows, planting trees and other upkeep projects.

Making a difference in the lives of others and the communities in which they live was the central theme of both events, and those taking part should be commended for their service and support of neighbors.

The Quincy project, called Love the Q, was launched by the Crossing Church as a way to promote the idea of exciting the city's residents to serve and put others first. Projects were divided into four categories -- beautification, the park district, food service and community outreach. Participation was not limited to members of the church.

Kory Hollensteiner, family pastor at the Crossing, helped organize the event as a way to demonstrate that "everyone can contribute to making the city better." He would like for similar one-day events to be held twice next year, but the primary focus will be identifying avenues for residents from all walks of life to serve all year to benefit the quality of life and look of Quincy.

Extreme Dome Makeover has been a tradition since the program was introduced in August 2010, when volunteers were asked to make over the exteriors of four Canton homes owned by residents who were known to do good things for others.

All incoming students are now required to participate in Extreme Dome Makeover as part of the college's first-year experience course. However, they were joined by other C-SC students, faculty and staff, as well as community volunteers.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and his 3-year-old son, Joshua, were among those involved in Canton beautification efforts. He summed up the day when he said: "What we found in all of that work is if you brought people together in shared service, you can make a difference."

Certainly those are words we can all live by the year-around.

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Volunteers show power of community service - Herald-Whig