In response to the last week’s snowstorm, A Few Good Men shoveled and plowed both driveways and parking lots to “see the need, meet the need,” despite the 8 inches of snow.
They sent out groups of students twice in the past two weeks for to snowfalls that swept through Hillsdale.
A Hillsdale College Goal Program, A Few Good Men reaches out to assist those in need throughout Hillsdale County. A special branch of A Few Good Men called Snow Assault Lead Team, or SALT, extends this outreach and exists solely for emergency response to snowstorms.
Four teams headed out into the snow last Wednesday and Thursday to shovel and plow for community members and local parking lots of outreach groups like Alpha Omega and the Youth Center.
Sophomore Chief Operating Officer, Dustin Pletan said, “We generally send out two crews for every 3-4 inches of snow.”
Last week, with the 8 inches of snow, four crews went out to shovel driveways and plow parking lots. This week’s four inches took two crews.
Shoveling snow is not the only way the club serves the community. A Few Good Men seeks to help members in the community in whatever way possible. Projects range from painting walls, to putting up drywall, to cleaning up yards, to just sitting and spending time with community members.
A Few Good Men is the biggest volunteer organization on campus with 75 members divided into nine crews. Each crew makes a weekly commitment to one three-hour shift to assist with whatever community members might need for that day.
“The crews have different projects that come in from all different places in Hillsdale County,” Executive Administrator sophomore Katie Beemer said. “They pick them up as they are available.”
The club was founded in 2012 by Ben Holscher ’14 as a group of men in Galloway Residence trying to win a volunteer competition. Community members hear about A Few Good Men through word of mouth and can call the organization for assistance.
Although service is their main goal, A Few Good Men seeks to be a strong presence for relationships in the community, Pletan said.
A Few Good Men partners with other outreach groups in the community, including hospice, senior care centers, Alpha Omega Care Center, and the Humane Society.
“The fact is this county is very economically depressed,” Pletan said. “We just try to step in and help out.”
Student volunteers said working through A Few Good Men benefits them.
“I think it’s always important to volunteer at some capacity,” freshman Josh Pradko said. “A Few Good Men is cool because it is totally, 100 percent student initiated. We are all in charge of ourselves”.
Not only does A Few Good Men reach out to the greater Hillsdale community but the student community, as well. The leadership said in order to succeed, the club works to build peer leadership, friendship, and an atmosphere of service among the students.
“It’s a workshop in leadership that is unrivaled on campus and in the community,” Pletan said. “Students are given opportunities to grow as a person and exercise leadership.”
A Few Good Men receives funds for operation through donations and grants from the Hillsdale Community Foundation, along with one fundraiser a semester.
“We are trying to be part of the community in such a way that we can even help other people help other people,” Pletan said.
