Veishea’s Community Involvement Committee extends Cyclone spirit throughout the year with a variety of service projects.

“The Community Involvement Committee helps get people involved and promotes Veishea through philanthropic events,” said Danielle Etzel, community involvement co-chairwoman.

This year, the committee adopted a family from Gilbert. The family of 10 includes biological as well as foster children, she said.

“With that many people, it’s hard to come up with the money to do things as a family,” she said.

“We’re trying to organize activities for them to do together.”

The committee adopted a family from Sudan last year, providing them with Christmas presents, clothes, toys and a holiday dinner, said Etzel, senior in food science and agriculture.

Brooke Sergeant, community involvement co-chairwoman, said the committee received only basic information about the Sudanese family.

“Since we worked through Youth Shelter Services, it was all confidential information,” she said.

The community involvement committee sponsors other community organizations and activities.

“We conduct an after school program for five Ames area elementary schools every Wednesday night,” Etzel said.

Sergeant said the committee also sponsors two $500 scholarships awarded to one high school and one college student.

“The awards are based solely on community service efforts,” she said.

Two events are being added to the committee’s Veishea schedule this year.

“We are cleaning up litter on Highway 35 through the Adopt-a-Highway program this year,” said Sergeant, junior in political science.

The community involvement committee is also holding a Teen Team Dance to raise money for the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Ames, she said.

“This event was founded back when there were children arrested during Veishea,” Sergeant said.

“The Boy’s and Girl’s Club started a teen dance on Friday nights to give kids something to do.”

“We thought we would hold a similar dance on a larger scale and invite students from all the local high schools,” she said.

The `Teen Team Dance’ will now kick off Veishea each year, Sergeant said.

Sergeant said she thinks the community involvement committee helps bring the spirit of Veishea back to its roots.

“Veishea was originally formed to showcase the ISU and Ames communities and to bring them together,” she said. “The community involvement committee has become an integral part in that.”