fillthedome-web.jpgMayville State is well-known for its special brand of personal service that individuals experience as students and carry with them as they live out their lives and careers. As the university celebrates 125 years of personal service (www.mayvillestate.edu/125), it’s fitting that a new student group on the campus, the Cometeers, is giving Mayville State’s tradition of personal service new life.

Group embodies personal service

The Cometeers aim to promote volunteer service of Mayville State University students by reaching out to communities near and far. The group has been organized for only a short time, but already they’ve made a big impact at the campus and beyond.

WDAZ TV in Grand Forks recently aired a story about the Cometeers and the good work they are doing in cooperation with the local May-Port CG Middle School. Go to http://www.wdaz.com/event/article/id/23002/ to see the story.

How did the Cometeers get their start?

Mayville State students Jacob Allam and Brady Eichelberger were visiting during dinner one night and Brady mentioned his involvement at with the Larson Leadership program at the university. He told Jacob that he’d been encouraged to get involved with a group or organization and to get into a leadership role. Brady said that he was interested in starting a new volunteer organization at Mayville State. The idea was intriguing to Jacob and through their discussion that evening, they had formed a good basis for their plan.

The next day, the two spoke to Mayville State personnel and learned how they could proceed in establishing an official campus organization. They drafted a constitution and put together a list of prospective members. In addition, they visited with community businesses and organizations, such as the Luther Memorial Home, Sanford Health Mayville, GST in Portland, and others, to gauge the need for a volunteer organization such as the one they had envisioned. They learned that there is a great need in the community. After several weeks of preliminary work, Jacob and Brady brought their idea to the Mayville State Student Senate, which unanimously accepted Cometeers as an official organization of the university. In a few short months, membership in the group has grown to 42, and the group has quickly become the largest student organization on campus. Their faculty advisor is Rhonda Nelson.

Purpose of the organization

The purpose of Cometeers is to enrich personality, responsibility, attitude, and appreciation toward the members, community, and life in general. Members and other students provide volunteer service throughout the surrounding communities, the university, and the general public by offering their time and efforts to help others in many facets of life, in order to better those communities and its individuals. Members gain useful skills and knowledge that will assist them during their college years and throughout their professional lives. The organization encourages all Mayville State University students to become involved in volunteer service.

Who has been helped?

Some of the volunteer projects the Cometeers have been involved with include Rainbow Garden and Highway 200 clean-up, Summerfest, the PTA carnival, May-Port Food Pantry fundraiser, Farmers Bowl, MSU homecoming festivities, fundraisers for people in need, and more. Several members of the group plan to join North Dakota State University students on their spring break “Pay it Forward” trip in March. Organizers say they are willing to take on any activity that is considered a community service, and they have made themselves available to be on call, even when the call for help is last-minute.