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"I enjoy helping the kids, the school and the community," she says. "The community is such an important place. If we can each volunteer a little time, then it can be an even more wonderful place."
She spends countless hours volunteering to help promote the Eddyville-Blakesburg community she lives in, especially when it comes to activities that involve kids and recreation. However, she quickly points out she doesn't do it all alone, "It takes more than one person. There are a lot of people who have stepped in and helped out. We work together as a team and we've accomplished a lot."
Van Dorin promotes school spirit as president of the Rocket Athletic Association and an RAA officer the past several years. The group tries to do things to help each of the schools in the district. They have promoted the school colors by painting the gyms in each of the buildings as well as the high school cafeteria and a special wall featuring names of all the seniors. The group also helps chaperone a bonfire during homecoming week.
With the help of fundraisers such as Bingo, the group provides prizes for students during spirit week, goody baskets for wrestlers headed to state competition, annual class group photos, a camcorder for filming sporting events and help with purchasing uniforms.
Two RAA scholarships also are offered annually to seniors who write essays on "What school spirit means to me."
"That was very important," Van Dorin says. "Any time we can help kids go to college, we want to promote that."
The group's next project will be landscaping around a rocket bench to provide a place for students to sit and visit or wait for transportation.
Van Dorin is also very much involved in SOCK - Support Our Community Kids.
The main objective for this group is to provide a safe environment for kids after prom. They like to have something fun for kids to do in town so they aren't driving out of town late at night.
Students have enjoyed lots of food, prizes, games, entertainment by a hypnotist and various inflatable bouncers.
"It has gone over very well," Van Dorin says.
Fundraisers for this event are held throughout the year and include two dances, a school carnival, pizza cards, raffles and lots of donations. She laughs about the whirlwind shopping trips she and Cammie Richards have made on the day after Thanksgiving looking for all those awesome prizes.
"It is a lot of fun," she says. "A lot of people help. We are always looking for more help."
Van Dorin also is involved with RICE, the Recreational Improvement Committee of Eddyville.
Van Dorin, her husband, Jerry, and friend, Brad Francis, decided about 13 years ago that it would be nice to fix up the area commonly known as "the frog pond." They wanted to create a nice little park area for the community, which is exactly what they have done, with the help of a lot of local groups and individuals.
They have taken a small run down area that had one baseball diamond and turned it into a beautiful recreational park.
"That is my pride and joy," she says. "We now have a very nice area."
RICE members have fixed up the original diamond and added two more diamonds, new fencing, bases, batting cage, a nice playground, shelter house, concession stand, restrooms, basketball court, sand volleyball and more.
"Nobody believed us at first that we were going to do this," she says. In fact they started by building some dugouts with money from their own savings. From there on the community joined in their vision and the donations came flowing into the park. Several organizations have donated money, supplies, labor and more. Plus, RICE has been awarded grants to help in fixing up the park.
"We work together as a team. A lot of people have stepped in and helped out," she says.
Van Dorin helps her kids' 4-H leader, Michelle Ratliff. She has worked with the kids to help write grants to fix up the Monroe County Fairgrounds, adding trees and shrubs and helped with fundraising for scholarships. A former 4-H member, Van Dorin feels it is a wonderful organization that helps kids learn to be better people.
She likes to get involved in various ways that help children, such as finding ways to help offset expenses for families. "I want to make sure kids who can't afford things can get involved.
"I was always taught volunteering makes your heart feel good," she says. "I don't do this to be thanked, I do this to see the look on the kids' faces. I just try to help out."
She adds that her grandmother was her biggest influence. "I guess I have adopted my grandma's values."
Van Dorin has been involved in small communities her whole life. She started out in Albia, graduated from Moravia and moved away for awhile with her husband before returning to the Eddyville area in 1993.
"Family is very important, we support each other and do a lot together," she says of her husband and their children, Trenton, Truleigh, Trinity and Treg.
"We like being in the country, we have some horses and some hay ground," she adds.
The family is involved in the Eddyville Methodist Church, they enjoy boating and, of course, athletic events.
After the birth of her son, Van Dorin was inspired to become a registered nurse. She loves it and works at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center in the surgical department.
"I'm a people person," she says. "I've never met a stranger."
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