RCL Blog - Research Guides and Class Pages at Dominican University

There is something special about volunteering for a local community. Many times, we do not stop to think about how volunteering can leave an impact on our own communities and deepen our understanding of civic responsibility and compassion, as well as form significant social connections. It is nice to take step back from our day-to-day schedules and find ways we can contribute to our own communities with small or big actions.

In late January, I had the opportunity to volunteer for DU Ministry's monthly Come to The Table. This was a new and wonderful experience that allowed me to not only build connections with students and members of the community but also assist the local community at the Quinn Center (Maywood, IL) that rely on these food distributions for their families.

students wearing smiling and serving food — Dominican students serving at a University Ministry event.
Taken from: Faith Justice | Dominican University

I was intrigued by the flyer of the service opportunity, and I scanned the QR code to log into EngageDU to view the details and RSVP. When I decided to volunteer for Come to the Table, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never done a service opportunity like this before. The description noted that we would have to pack food bags and distribute them at the Quinn Center. I realized afterwards that volunteering for this service was much more than that. It was a unique experience to connect me to the heart of the community.

One week later, the day came for Come to the Table. The first time I walked into University Ministry, I was struck by the energy of the room as it was a calm and friendly environment. The center felt like a cozy little area. There were a couple of students in the center when I walked in. The students there greeted me and asked me if I was volunteering. After I told them I was, they welcomed me to sit at the couch or chairs near the tables until University Ministry staff finished their meeting.

After a few minutes, two members of University Ministry, Rachel and Kayla, entered with boxes of food we were going to pack to distribute at the Quinn Center. We needed to clean off the table and placed a tablecloth over before packing 100 food bags to distribute. The eight of us had an hour to make 100 sandwiches and place fruit and treats into each of the paper bags. We decided to split up the work so that each person had a task to do. I could see that everyone was focused on their task as we passed the food bags down to for the next person.

Book cover of *Community in Higher Education* (2015). Title can be accessed at Crown Library.

While we were packing, Rachel started an ice breaker to give us the opportunity to know each another. It was interesting to see students from different majors represented and to get to know each other a bit. Kayla told us more about what this service opportunity is and its origin. I found it incredible that this service started at DU for around 20 years. DU Ministry partners with the Quinn Center to aid local families that rely on these resources. After half of an hour, the table was filled with food bags ready to be placed and stacked into the cart and plastic bins.

University Ministry provided us the transportation to head to the Quinn Center, located within the St. Eulalia parish, and back to the University. When we got there, a group of individuals were already placing their food bags on the tables. We placed our food bags in sets of four with the rest of the other food bags.

Flyer for University Ministry's Bilingual Mass and Ash Distribution at Rosary Chapel.

The people at the Quinn Center were very welcoming and guided us through their process. They explained that some of us would go up to the people in their cars and asked them for a number of family members so we could make sure each person received a food bag. Two other students and I were in charge of sorting the bags into another plastic bag and adding either a cereal box or a bag of bread. Other students went up to the cars to distribute the food bags. Seeing the gratitude of the people driving by with their food was indescribable. Next, I helped sort the food pantry of the Quinn Center with two other students. I enjoyed organizing the shelves, especially because it allowed me to form a bond with this community and students.

The drive back from the Quinn Center made me realize that volunteering is such a rewarding experience that makes you grow as a person, get out of your comfort zone, and enact the civic responsibility we have to our own communities. I plan to assist the next Come to The Table service opportunity to become more involved and aid the local community of the Quinn Center.

I know many of us have busy schedules and it can be difficult to volunteer. However, I believe if you can find time - even if it’s for one or a couple hours per month - you will find something wonderful in volunteering and forming amazing bonds with people. I encourage you to volunteer for the next Come to the Table service opportunity. This wonderful experience will amaze you at how assisting local communities can truly make a long-lasting impact.

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Butler Lecture Series Welcomes Candace Fleming

Candace Fleming, award-winning author for Children's picture books and young adult nonfiction and fiction books, spoke at the 13th Annual Butler Lecture Series at Martin Recital Hall on Tuesday. Her lecture was followed by an audience Q&A, then a book signing alongside illustrator Eric Rohman who has illustrated many of Fleming's works.In introductory remarks, Butler Center curator Jennifer Clemons described Fleming as a "friend to the University and Center,” having helped establish the Butler Center 15 years ago. Previous series speakers have included Kyle Lukoff (2024), Ebony Elizabeth Thomas and Renee Watson (2021), Andrea Davis Pinkney (2018), and Jane Yolen (2014).Visceral Creativity A theme throughout Fleming's address was tactile experiences during the processes of research and writing. When writing drafts, Fleming said she uses cheap blue pens. That way, after a hard day of writing, with blue ink stains on her arm she can truthfully say, “I'm blue…I wrote today." Fleming also told a story from her youth, having just had her heart broken at a high school dance. Her mother's comfort came by means of a story from her own youth when she learned about the tragic disappearance of pilot Amelia Erhardt. Fleming remembers hearing how her mother “watched, waited, willed Amelia home” helped pull her from her own trifles and recognize the profound ways stories can be a window to empathize with feelings and experiences we don't participate in firsthand.Book cover of Candace Fleming's The Family Romanov. Title can be found at Rebecca Crown Library.Like many creative souls, Fleming thrives on new experiences through travel to inspire her research. A trip to Egypt provided sensations of sand skittering beneath her feet and the dark, quiet of the tombs which informed The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun's Tomb.Visiting Alexander Palace in St. Petersburgh, Russia allowed a critical shift in Fleming's perspective. Experiencing firsthand how close the palace gates were to the village and everyday life was a window into how the last czar family of Russia had created a psychological distance between themselves and those they were charged to lead. She then recognized that writing the award-winning The Family Romanov would need to include peasants, soldiers, and Revolutionaries to tell the story truthfully.Finding the Story“Searching and finding is not natural to me," said Fleming. When Dominican professor Cecilia Salvatore asked about her research process, Fleming admitted “It's so messy.” Sometimes an unexpected spark opens the path for a project for the author. After taking six full pages of notes on Faberge eggs, Fleming joked, the author turned course to research the exciting tale of the Russian Revolution.Book cover of Candace Fleming's Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Title can be accessed at Rebecca Crown Library.Fleming described the research for what was initially meant to be a true crime story to be like lifting a rock. In The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindburgh, Fleming would write about the “underside” of a man's life who, while known to most as a national hero, was also part of a secret society of eugenicists and had secret families. “Research can take you to shocking places, and I wasn't ready for it,” she said.Fleming prefers to do research with primary sources. “That's where the telling, intimate things are.” She begins a project by discovering which institution carries the most primary sources on her current topic of interest. Even if many documents are available digitally, Fleming prefers the hands-on experience of sifting through them. In researching for what would eventually be Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Fleming parsed through hand-written letters of sympathy to George Putnam. This allowed her to read the endearingly personal notes Erhardt's widower put on the envelopes of these letters.Fleming explained she has only begun to focus on nonfiction for young adult audiences in the last 5-8 years. She has a widely spanning oeuvre which includes many picture books as well as nonfiction and fiction books for older children. When an audience member asked whether writing nonfiction or fiction offers more rewards, Fleming said “I need them both.” She enjoys people's responses when she admits a fact-based story of danger and excitement like The Family Romanov is followed up by a picture book called Bulldozer's Big Day.A Reliable GuideBeyond being an author of high stature, Fleming is passionate about providing true stories to young readers. Her goal is to provide escapism so enticing her readers will gobble it up in one sitting like a cake. She recognizes that teens are daily awash with information, and she sees her role as guiding them through narratives and wild seas. At the same time, she trusts teens to wrestle with contradictions founds in her stories which embody the human condition. Such as depicted in Death in the Jungle, her forthcoming book about the 1978 “revolutionary suicide” of Jonestown. Despite some adults questioning whether such material is fit for teens, Fleming views the tale cautionary yet human, and one she trusts her teen readers to empathetically wrestle withCover of Candace Fleming's forthcoming Death in the Jungle (April, 2025).As a hopeful author of books for youth, these campus events are incredibly inspiring. Make sure to check out the SOIS Signature Events page for future awesome lectures on campus.More Candace Fleming books found at Rebecca Crown Library:Papa's Mechanical Fish Eleanor Roosevelt's In My Garage!Ben Franklin's Almanac Presenting Buffalo Bill The Enigma Girls Honeybee Oh, No! Our Eleanor Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!...

Finding a Sense of Belonging

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A "Thank You" to the Chapel and Noonan Reading Room

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Making an Impact: Volunteering for University Ministry's Come to the Table

This post was written by undergraduate student Raziel Salamanca for Professor Christine Wilson's ENG 335 assignment, Writing as Social Action. It is part of a “Student Speaks” series on the RCL blog. In-post pictures were added by the editor.There is something special about volunteering for a local community. Many times, we do not stop to think about how volunteering can leave an impact on our own communities and deepen our understanding of civic responsibility and compassion, as well as form significant social connections. It is nice to take step back from our day-to-day schedules and find ways we can contribute to our own communities with small or big actions. In late January, I had the opportunity to volunteer for DU Ministry's monthly Come to The Table. This was a new and wonderful experience that allowed me to not only build connections with students and members of the community but also assist the local community at the Quinn Center (Maywood, IL) that rely on these food distributions for their families. Dominican students serving at a University Ministry event.Taken from: Faith Justice | Dominican UniversityI was intrigued by the flyer of the service opportunity, and I scanned the QR code to log into EngageDU to view the details and RSVP. When I decided to volunteer for Come to the Table, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never done a service opportunity like this before. The description noted that we would have to pack food bags and distribute them at the Quinn Center. I realized afterwards that volunteering for this service was much more than that. It was a unique experience to connect me to the heart of the community. One week later, the day came for Come to the Table. The first time I walked into University Ministry, I was struck by the energy of the room as it was a calm and friendly environment. The center felt like a cozy little area. There were a couple of students in the center when I walked in. The students there greeted me and asked me if I was volunteering. After I told them I was, they welcomed me to sit at the couch or chairs near the tables until University Ministry staff finished their meeting. After a few minutes, two members of University Ministry, Rachel and Kayla, entered with boxes of food we were going to pack to distribute at the Quinn Center. We needed to clean off the table and placed a tablecloth over before packing 100 food bags to distribute. The eight of us had an hour to make 100 sandwiches and place fruit and treats into each of the paper bags. We decided to split up the work so that each person had a task to do. I could see that everyone was focused on their task as we passed the food bags down to for the next person. Book cover of Community in Higher Education (2015). Title can be accessed at Crown Library.While we were packing, Rachel started an ice breaker to give us the opportunity to know each another. It was interesting to see students from different majors represented and to get to know each other a bit. Kayla told us more about what this service opportunity is and its origin. I found it incredible that this service started at DU for around 20 years. DU Ministry partners with the Quinn Center to aid local families that rely on these resources. After half of an hour, the table was filled with food bags ready to be placed and stacked into the cart and plastic bins. University Ministry provided us the transportation to head to the Quinn Center, located within the St. Eulalia parish, and back to the University. When we got there, a group of individuals were already placing their food bags on the tables. We placed our food bags in sets of four with the rest of the other food bags. Flyer for University Ministry's Bilingual Mass and Ash Distribution at Rosary Chapel.The people at the Quinn Center were very welcoming and guided us through their process. They explained that some of us would go up to the people in their cars and asked them for a number of family members so we could make sure each person received a food bag. Two other students and I were in charge of sorting the bags into another plastic bag and adding either a cereal box or a bag of bread. Other students went up to the cars to distribute the food bags. Seeing the gratitude of the people driving by with their food was indescribable. Next, I helped sort the food pantry of the Quinn Center with two other students. I enjoyed organizing the shelves, especially because it allowed me to form a bond with this community and students. The drive back from the Quinn Center made me realize that volunteering is such a rewarding experience that makes you grow as a person, get out of your comfort zone, and enact the civic responsibility we have to our own communities. I plan to assist the next Come to The Table service opportunity to become more involved and aid the local community of the Quinn Center. I know many of us have busy schedules and it can be difficult to volunteer. However, I believe if you can find time - even if it’s for one or a couple hours per month - you will find something wonderful in volunteering and forming amazing bonds with people. I encourage you to volunteer for the next Come to the Table service opportunity. This wonderful experience will amaze you at how assisting local communities can truly make a long-lasting impact. ...