Rachel Mulder, Staff Writer

Many students, faculty, and staff of Dordt College came to the Rec Center on Wednesday, March 28 to celebrate the donations given by alumni and friends.

This celebration was called GRACE days and it was held to give thanks to the donors and friends of Dordt who support the student’s education.

“The idea of GRACE days is to help students understand (in a fun way) the impact of donors on campus and on their educations, and to give donors a chance to hear messages of gratitude from students,” said John Baas, Vice President for College Advancement at Dordt.

Students who came were encouraged to write a note of thanks to a donor and sign a large “thank you” banner. They also received a free meal and had the chance to run through a 100-foot inflatable obstacle course.

“I’ve heard from a number of students and employees who really appreciated the event. The turnout was higher than what we hoped for and we were pleasantly surprised,” said Barb Mellema, Director of Annual Giving at Dordt College.

Because of all the donations that are received, students’ tuition for the last twenty-three days of the school year is covered.

“Without all our donors, it would not be possible for some of us to attend Dordt. And I don’t think that students realized that we are basically going to school for free right now because of our generous donors,” said Kristen Tiel.

“This was a concept we’ve considered in the past but didn’t actually implement until this year. We partnered with Student Services and many volunteers (students and faculty/staff) which helped tremendously in making it successful,” said Baas.

“We will be assessing over the summer what future plans will be for the future of GRACE Days but it will involve a significant celebration. We were delighted with the turn out and the student response has been fantastic,” said Bethany Schuttinga, Associate Provost for Co-Curricular Programs.