TAKING THE PLUNGE

Saturday seemed a picture perfect outdoor day with blues skies, bright sunshine and temperatures hovering in the mid-70s.

Roger Brown spent the afternoon working up a sweat indoors -- moving furniture and setting up clothing racks at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. It will open Friday at its new site at 610 Independence.

He was one of about 150 Southeast Missouri State University students who participated in the third annual Plunge Day. Students scattered throughout Cape Girardeau at nearly 20 agencies and facilities doing good deeds.

Brown, a junior from Springfield, Ill., and a member of the Phi Kappa Alpha fraternity, liked the work. "It gets me off the couch and let's me help someone out," Brown said as he and two friends pieced together a rather complicated clothing rack.

"These racks were donated by Target and I used to work there," he said with a smile. "I know how to put these together."

Brandy Thornton, a freshman from Lilbourn, was also busy at the new thrift store, sorting through dozens and dozens of white, brown and black garbage bags overflowing with clothes.

"I want to make a difference in the community, and I'm really enjoying what I'm doing," Thornton said as she sorted summer clothes from winter.

Now that she knows the Salvation Army needs volunteers, Thornton plans to come back and help again.

"It makes me feel good inside," she said simply.

Major Bob Gauthier was happy for the help. He has a big job ahead as the Salvation Army prepares to open the much expanded thrift store at the former site of First Wheel and Tire. It offers more than twice the space for display and storage.

With a site closer to campus, Gauthier hopes more college students will volunteer. People interested in volunteering can call him Tuesday at 335-7000.

Across town, 21-year-old Summer Slayden was interviewing residents at Cape Girardeau Residential Care, 2910 Beaver Creek. The survey was a way to break the ice with residents. She and two other students then invited residents to a game of Scrabble.

The junior from St. Charles said she enjoys community service through her membership in the Tri Delta sorority, especially working with older people.

She knelt down beside 96-year-old Erma Johnson and talked about the food.

"What's your favorite food here?" asked Slayden.

"I like the dumplings," answered Johnson as she reclined in her neat-as-a-pin room filled with treasures from home.

"Oh definitely," laughed Slayden.

A grandmother clock ticked quietly on the wall -- watching the generations connect.

Dana Lathum, director of nursing, said it's great to have younger people interact with the residents, adding: "It helps connect them with the outside community."

This marks the first year the residential facility has participated in Plunge, but Lathum said it would like to continue the association.

Many of the participating agencies and groups were repeats from previous years, said Monica Smith, the student coordinator.

Just after lunch Saturday, the students gathered near a giant red-and-white-striped tent on the Academic Terraces. The students separated to hand-lettered signs for each agency and soon they were boarding three orange school buses for transportation to the sites. All participants met back on the terraces later in the afternoon for ice cream sandwiches donated by Schnucks.

The day's tasks were varied: picking up trash at parks and around the new police substation, organizing a library at the Girl Scout office and cleaning apartments for the Women's Safe House to name just a few. In all, some 17 agencies came up with the lists of tasks for the student volunteers.

The Plunge Day project is based at Southeast, said Kristen Heine, coordinator for student involvement, but she noted that community service is a growing venture at many college campuses.

Smith said students who volunteer find out it's self-gratifying.

"We're trying to get the message out that it feels good to help others so that more will join in," she said.

Projects for Plunge Day

Cape Civic Center

Cape Police Department

Caring Communities

Easter Seals

Girl Scouts

Habitat for Humanity

Vision 2000

Humane Society

MDA

Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation

Radcliffe Manor

Safe House for Women

Salvation Army

Trail of Tears State Park

Cape Girardeau Residential Care

MOSPAN-MO Statewide Parent Advisory Network

Rolling Readers

St. Vincent

Source: Plunge '99