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Wartburg faculty and staff educate, inspire and empower students to live out the College’s mission to challenge and nurture students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning.

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Wartburg College alumni “bleed orange” and care about their alma mater. We encourage alumni and parents to participate in the life of the college, provide for its future, and promote the college to others.

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Wartburg College is an important resource in the Cedar Valley and beyond. The college provides many cultural opportunities that add to the vibrancy of the Waverly community.

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SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECTS

The Residence is a living and learning environment in which residents come together as a community to grow as servant leaders and gain greater social awareness. Students get the chance to go beyond traditional volunteer roles in this program. They will get the chance to foster critical thinking, have hands-on learning experiences that will compliment that classroom work, and gain a life-long skill that they can take with them after graduation. 

The primary goal of the Residence Service Projects is to work as a group to identify and meet a need in the community. In addition, each member must be committed to serving a community partner. The projects begin at the start of Fall Term and continue for the entire academic year.

Nancy Lopes

Area Coordinator - Ubuntu Center

(319) 352-8553

nancy.lopes@wartburg.edu


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Application

Application Deadline for 2025-26
Friday, Feb. 7, 2025

As members of a Residence Service Learning group, members agree to serve their community partner to the best of their ability. Members will uphold the values of Wartburg College, as their presence at these community partner locations directly reflects back on the College. Members agree to complete assigned service hours each month. Members agree to complete any service-learning reflection questions and meetings. Members agree to communicate with Residential Life as well as their community partner supervisor. Group members must complete the application as a group. By completing the application everyone within the group understands the expectations of the service projects.

APPLY HERE »

Video Submission

Groups must submit a 5-minute video answering the questions listed below about their service-learning project. All group members must participate in the video. Groups can be creative in making the video and choose any tools or styles.

  1. Why is serving important to you, and what do you hope to gain from it?
  2. What community partner do you want to work with? Choose three and rank them in order of preference.
  3. Why did you choose your top community partner?
  4. How will each group member serve 6–10 hours each month?
  5. Does your group have a rough schedule for volunteer times?

Potential Community Partners

  • Bartels Retirement Community
  • Bremwood (Lutheran Services in Iowa)
  • Cedar Bend Humane Society
  • Crosspoint Church
  • Friends of the Family
  • City of Waverly Recycling Center
  • House of Hope
  • North Star Community Serivces
  • Redeemer Lutheran Church
  • Retrieving Freedom
  • Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church & School
  • The Larrabee Center
  • The City of Waverly
  • The Meadows Assisted Living Center
  • The Northeast Iowa Food Bank
  • The Salvation Army
  • Trinity United Methodist Church
  • Waverly Health Center
  • Waverly Senior Center
  • Waverly-Shell Rock Schools

Project Expectations

Members 

  • Groups need to select one group representative to submit the application and serve as the main contact between the suite, community partners, and the Student Life Office.  
  • Suites are responsible for filling all eight beds within the suite.  
  • If someone leaves the group, it is the responsibility of the group members to fill that space with someone else.  
  • Residential Life reserves the right to place any students into the open spaces within suites.  

Note: If a group does not have eight members, the group will still be allowed to apply. However, priority in the selection process will go to full suites.  

Service Hours 

  • Individual group members each spend 6-10 hours each month serving with a community partner. 
  • Individual group members will log their own hours through the online submission form.  
  • Individual group members will arrive to their volunteer location on time and will remain at their service location for their scheduled service hours.  
  • Individual group members will communicate with their community partner supervisor about when they can serve, if there are issues with their schedule, or if they need to make up hours during the month. 
  • Individual group members will communicate with Residential Life if they are having issues getting enough hours from their community partner.  

Note: The suite representative should take the lead on communication with the community partner.

Community Partner Supervisor 

  • Each group needs to have a community partner supervisor.  This person is someone at the organization you are serving with that supervises your progress and will sign off on your volunteer hours.   
  • The community partner supervisor will be in close contact with Residential Life to verify individual group members are serving the organization well and fulfilling their service hour requirements.  

Reflection Questions & Meetings 

  • Each group is responsible for sending at least one member of the group to mid-semester meetings with Residential Life. 
  • Individual group members will be responsible for complete mid-semester evaluations, sent out at the time of the meetings.