Fayette Appreciation Day reaches new mark

Ten years strong, Fayette Appreciation Day has now resulted in over 480 service projects completed during the annual Upper Iowa University county-wide volunteer effort. Over 550 Upper Iowa University students, faculty, staff, and community members participated in the Wednesday, April 20, event which included 48 unique projects in 10 of the 16 Fayette County communities.

“I wish to extend a big Peacock thank you not only to all the volunteers who made today possible in their respective communities, but also all UIU students, faculty, staff and community members that have helped make this such an impactful event over the past decade. It says a lot about the great number of Peacocks and community members, who want to be a part of something better,” said Daryl Grove, UIU director of student activities. “If you are one of the ‘Fayette County Proud’ that took action, we hope you are inspired to continue serving in your community. We also invite anyone who didn’t get involved this year to join in the fun on April 19, 2017.”

The 2016 service projects included volunteer efforts at local food shelters, Big Rock Country Club in Fayette, the Fayette Opera House in Fayette, Rainbow Land Preschool/Daycare in Fayette, Kaleidoscope Kids Childcare Center in West Union, Volga River Recreation Area, Maple Crest Manor in Fayette, Oelwein Community Library, Meals on Wheels, North Fayette Valley schools, UIU-Fayette campus, the community disc golf course in Fayette, and Prairie View Residential Care Facility, rural Fayette.

Various cleanup and/or maintenance projects were also completed along the Volga River and the Fayette-Volga River Multi-Use trail, and in the cities of Hawkeye, Maynard, Randalia, Clermont, Elgin, Wadena, West Union, Fayette and Waucoma.

For photos of the event, visit the Upper Iowa Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/upperiowauniversity/albums.