History of Buenafication Day
"In it's earliest form, believe it or not, this day was called Hobo Day...It was a day for students to spruce up campus, and take care of the lawn and the buildings.
Buenafication Day has become an event that we look forward to every year."
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- President Joshua Merchant (2020)
Memories From Alumni
Jaelyn Olson
Jaelyn Olson
Jaelyn Olson
One year I went with Esprit De Corps to clean up the fairgrounds in Alta and none of us realized we would be outside. Unfortunately, it had been raining and none of us were wearing rain boots. So we improvised and put our feet in gallon ziploc bags so we didn’t get our feet soaked.
Lindsay Huisman
I remember hearing the pots and pans come down the hall my freshman year when I lived in Pierce-White, but I was already awake so it didn’t bother me that much. I remember everyone in the stadium bleachers watching some staff races/ challenges and then everyone doing the beaver train. I worked with the soccer team one year and the team planted trees in town.
Katelyn Brinkerhoff
My favorite memory from Buenafication Day is from 2016 when I had the opportunity to welcome everyone and share the history of Buenafication Day at the morning kick off event.
My final year (2017) Senate Senate worked alongside the Buena Vista County Master Gardeners to plant flowers and shrubs at the county fairgrounds.
Max Lee
My junior year I went with the international students to paint kid’s faces. It was a fun day, and we definitely made some kids happy. The kid in the photo wanted to look tough for his friends so he asked me to draw a massive scorpion across the whole left side of his face... It was a good day.
Kristina Campbell
I love how our school dedicated a day of us giving back to those around us. Whether that be helping to clean up our beach, or take care of some chores at a shelter; small things others don't think much of and take little effort from us are always appreciated by those we help.
Ashley Schmit
One of my favorite traditions of Buenafication Day is the Buenabreakfast the night before. It was always so much fun working as a team to make breakfast food for the students on campus. We always had lots of fun preparing the food and interacting with everyone that came to enjoy the food. It was always so nice to see how happy it made people.
Alan Maldonado
While I have many memories of service that I will cherish, I always hold fond the idea of joining efforts with friends and strangers all together for the common cause of making our community better... Buenafication Day is tailored towards bringing people together for a day of unselfishness.
Aaron Nicolaisen
As an alumni you look back and recapture all the fun and excitement experienced. One year in particular members of SCATE joined together to work with the Storm Lake Community Garden planting vegtables. It had rained early in the morning but that did not stop our group from getting dirty and planting vegtables. It was definitely a time full of fun and plenty of mud from the rain.
Jessica Igarashi
My favorite memory is from my senior year at BV. The track & field team went to Methodist Manor to spend the morning with the residents. We spent some time just talking to them and hearing their stories, and I even got to watch some of them participate in physical therapy which was beneficial to my learning and what I want to be doing in the future!
Emily Kenny
Buenafication day is always unique as a photographer because I was privileged enough to go around to multiple different sites where students were doing service...That was my favorite part about working for The Tack or KBVU because you get to experience a variety of things each year capturing what different student groups are doing.
Laura Petersen
My favorite memory has to be from last year's Buenafication Day. A couple friends and I ended up making bandages in the multi-purpose room because our original project got cancelled due to the weather. The atmosphere in that room was electric and so motivating. I wish that people could see how much time and love goes into each project. Volunteering never feels like work. It's rewarding, fulfilling, and incredibly satisfying.
Alyssa Donnelly
My favorite memory about Buenafication day was being able to see all the laughs and smiles in the community... Buenafication day reminds us how important an impact can be made when helping or spending time in the community. It definitely was a big part of the University and one thing as an Alumni I miss dearly.
Ranelle Irwin
My favorite Buenafication memory was repainting The Underground! Everyone in the Anime and Gaming Society all agreed that it needed a brighter look, so we got a bunch of green paint and a willing crew, and together we covered some of the old brick. It was really fun seeing how the atmosphere changed as we slowly made our way across the walls with brushes and rollers.
Aubrey Anderson
How special is it to see a community of students, faculty, and staff all come together and thank the community that supports them? Everyone has a different meaning associated with Buenafication Day and that is especially beautiful to me because service isn’t done in just a singular way.
Mackenzie Rappe
It was cool hoping around from group to group and different locations covering stories, interviews and such it was like being a real reporter at an event... It was great getting to hear everyone else's stories and why they wanted to help a specific group or just because they wanted to branch out and try something new. It was a very heart warming moment.
Cooper Maahs
I think my favorite thing every yeah was that I always beat the wake up call. Someone my freshman year warned me about it so I always got up extra early so I’m not startled by my door being pounded. Which in a weird way made what they were doing more successful.
Spencer Bottorff
Every year I helped the Tack go around and cover everything the students were doing... From planting trees, cleaning the beaches, to washing fire trucks, everyone did their part and gave back to the community in a different way. Over all it was a fun day for the school in general every year.
JoAnna Plyum
Buenafication Day was one of the highlights of being a part of BVU. I got to embrace the cultures surrounding me and support a town that supported me for over four years. I truly knew I was a part of a family at BVU and Buenafication Day was one of our families
greatest traditions.
Rachel Herrington
One of the main reasons I chose to attend BVU is their dedication to service.
Buenification Day gives students an opportunity to give back to the beautiful community of Storm Lake.
Matthew Swanson
My favorite part about Buenafication Day was teaching 4th graders more about the environment and technology. Seeing kids having fun while grasping onto new ideas was a great way to spend the day!
Jenny Schildroth
My favorite part of Buenafication day is when we all get together for the opening ceremonies and then seeing everyone branch out and get to their destinations. It’s so cool to see everyone go out and know they are going to make an impact in the community .