Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Steve Roelse Core III students loading up the books which will be sent to Malawi, Africa. This is the fourth time Lakeland sent books to Malawi.

Media Credit: Steve Roelse 31 volunteers, including two Core III classes, collected books to be sent to Malawi, Africa. The group spent six hours collecting, packing and loading the books. Well over 700 boxes were packed into the truck. After driving back to Sheboygan, students unloaded the books at a designated warehouse.

On Feb. 7, 31 volunteers, including two of Lakeland College's core III classes, drove down to four Milwaukee schools to pick up books for the annual Malawian book drive.

The schools were closed for consolidating reasons in the Milwaukee Public School system, and made a perfect opportunity for Lakeland's book drive. This is the fourth Malawian book drive, a benefit started by professor Jeff Elzinga to help inhabitants of Malawi, Africa, by sending school books.

The event was coordinated by Steve Roelse, a Lakeland core III student. He organized many aspects of the project including the donations, truck rental, warehouse space, fellow core III students and volunteers.

"I went down to see where the schools were, to get a sense of the logistics. How many boxes of books there would be, how many steps would be in the way, how many rooms there would be, how many people we would need, and how long it would take. I just mapped it out," said Roelse.

The entire operation was well organized. As a 25-year veteran of the transportation business, Roelse found many volunteers inside and outside of Lakeland to lend a hand.

Roelse had much help from Rebecca Boyko, Director of risk management, and Carl Constable, head of security. Needing two vans for the drive to Milwaukee, they helped him get two drivers certified on short notice, as well as two vans reserved for the drive.

For the truck, Roelse contacted Dawn Wiedemann, a 2004 Lakeland graduate and a Penske Truck rental consultant. She kindly rented him a truck to load the books.

But perhaps the biggest help of the book drive was the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) staff who made it possible. Michele Lenski, Beth Wilkinson, Rob Krauthamel, and Jim, the MPS engineer, allowed the core III effort to take place with their permission and special access to the books at the schools.

The Malawian book drive ensued on Wednesday morning, Feb. 7.

"We had 100 percent attendance, no injuries, no losses, no damage, and it was just flawless. It came together beautifully," said Roesle.

The entire book drive went swiftly, finishing in just six hours. Fourteen pallets of books were loaded into the back of the Penske truck, each at 6 to 7 feet in height packed into well over 700 boxes.

"Inside the schools it was just mass teamwork by everyone, it was really smooth," said senior Tracey Urbanek

For lunch, Dale Carlson, of food service, and his staff put the lunches together to bring along, and Erin Helbing, who could not attend the loading, delivered them to the 31 volunteers.

Along with the efforts of the core III students, Corey Petzold and Jake Roelse, (Steve's son) volunteered to help. "These two guys were inside, they loaded that entire truck, they lifted every box that went into it, and neither one of them are in the core III class, they just volunteered," Roelse said.

The last thing the core III volunteers did was unload the pallets of books at the warehouse. Scott Morrelle of Morrelle Transfer and Warehouse, offered up his services by contributing warehouse space for the books.

"When we brought the books up here, he came on his own time to forklift and help us pull them out," Roelse explained.

Currently, the books are still in the warehouse. Professor Elzinga is filing for the grant through the department of defense for shipment.

"We are looking at March 23 or 30 as the ship and load out day," said Roelse.

The core III effort also requests thanks to go out to Ms. June Martinson and Ms. Vesta Tucker, residents of Woodlands Senior Park in Fond Du Lac, whose generosity helped cover expenses for the project. June and Vesta have been fortunate to meet and spend time with Lakeland Malawi students, Rabson, Stella, and Rebecca.

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