September 6, 2005—Area nonprofit organizations interested in recruiting Oberlin College students to serve as volunteers are invited to the Fall Connections Fair Tuesday, September 13, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Co-hosted by the College's Center for Service and Learning (CSL) and student organizations, the event will take place in Wilder Bowl, located behind Wilder Hall, 135 West Lorain St. Organizations wishing to send representatives to the Fall Connections Fair may contact Adam Hohl, CSL Service Fair Coordinator, at 440-775-5390 or by e-mail at: Adam.Hohl@Oberlin.edu.

"Last year, more than 1,000 Oberlin College students contributed over 54,000 hours of service, doing everything from raising funds and writing grants to tutoring and running after-school programs for the 40 community organizations that took part in the fall and spring fairs," says Hohl.

"However, there are more than 170 other community organizations in the county. Joining them with student groups is the next logical step to bringing campus and community closer together. This is the first time we have united the two. In previous years, the student organizations fair and the community service fair were separate events.

"Community service, advocacy, grassroots organizing and applied research are the norm at Oberlin, where each year over 55 per cent of Oberlin undergraduate students do some form of curricular or co-curricular community service," says CSL Director Beth Blissman.