FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  09/10/99

CONTACT: 
Robyn Florian
Assistant Director of Public Relations
Greenville College
(618) 664 –2800, ext. 4536
 

Greenville College Community Assists in Meramec River Clean-Up Efforts

GREENVILLE, IL – In conjunction with the 32nd annual Operation Clean Stream, featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, more than 300 members of the Greenville College community participated in an extension of this volunteer Meramec River clean-up effort Monday, August 30. 

Project Overview
Members of faculty and administrative staff joined forces with new freshman and transfer students for a day of clean-up, canoeing and community. The group completed two projects; planting 1000 willow trees in the Ozarks Outdoors area intended to minimize erosion of these riverbanks, and painting “Stream Message” murals taken from artwork produced by 6th graders statewide for a 1997 calendar project. 
 
“We can put [these murals] on buses, trailers and sides of buildings where tourist coming into the area can see them,” stated Operation Clean Stream Coordinator Joan King. The group then entered the water in canoes near Onondaga Cave and continued five miles down the river, picking up trash and other debris along the riverbanks when necessary.

Following the float, participants arrived at Camp Mihaska, a Salvation Army camp, for an evening meal and praise service. Greenville College President, Dr. V. James Mannoia, Jr., and members of his cabinet greeted the group and applauded the day’s service endeavors.

Project coordinator and dean of student development and leadership, Norm Hall, stated, “In the evening the students had a time of sharing and a clear theme emerged; that God had led many of them either to Greenville, or to a life of ministry that included the Greenville experience. Their words revealed an excitement for a life of service and a desire to prepare spiritually, socially, academically and physically toward Kingdom service.”

Project Objectives 
This project, an activity of the Greenville College new student orientation program CONNECT serves (1) to expose students to the concept of volunteerism through a service learning project during their first week on campus, (2) to commence the building of community between new students and their fellow students and faculty, and (3) to engage students in and model behavior consistent with the college’s mission of encouraging persons toward lives of character and service.
 
Project Support
This event was funded in part by the Greenville College Zahniser Institute for Environmental Studies, a signature program of the college, which actively assists in reclaiming, restoring and replanting of numerous wetland regions, including areas in Metro St. Louis and Southern Illinois. 

Operation Clean Stream provided the group with project direction, lunches and supplies. Ozark Outdoors provided canoes and travel assistance at a reduced cost.
 
Apprised of this activity, Greenville College President Mannoia readily endorsed the opportunity to connect service learning with a liberal arts education. “We are convinced that a liberal arts education is not just about character formation, but for helping students learn to serve. What better way to help students learn to serve than to expose them to real needs of real people and equip them to meet those needs.”
 

Last updated: January 19, 2000