Ivy Tech Offers Opportunity for Community and Students to connect.

April 14, 2005      

BLOOMINGTON, IN – Members of the public are invited to visit “Community Connections”, one of numerous civic engagement events scheduled as part of the two-day O’Bannon Institute for Community Service. Community Connections will take place on Thursday, April 28, from 12 noon – 3:00 p.m. in the Student Commons at the Ivy Tech - Bloomington campus.

Representatives from social service agencies and organizations in the College’s six county service area have been invited to congregate at Ivy Tech to provide students with vital information and resources to assist them with any life issues they may have. Connecting students with these organizations helps students resolve their personal issues, and this ultimately allows students to focus on and succeed in their academic pursuits. At the same time, it is hoped that Ivy Tech students will be open to being recruited as volunteers for many of these organizations, to assist them in providing valuable services to the community at large.

“The College is concerned with the development of the holistic student,” comments Diana Jacobs, Ivy Tech’s dean of student affairs. “Ivy Tech wants to remove barriers to academic success that may be eliminated with the appropriate support and resources. In addition, it wants to provide its students with the opportunity for civic engagement, an important component of the well-rounded education of a community college student.”

“Most students who choose Ivy Tech do so because they need to better their lives,” says Ivy Tech Student Government Association president, Jennifer Posson. “Many students are not aware of the resources Ivy Tech and our local communities offer to help them on their way. Help is available to deal with personal issues, childcare, housing, food, transportation, and other barriers to educational success.”

More than sixty service organizations will participate in Community Connections. Each participating organization is provided with a booth in Ivy Tech’s Student Commons. Students will be able to stop by the booths and speak with representatives about how the organizations might assist them and/or how they may be able to provide volunteer assistance to these organizations.

Continues Posson: “The employees at Ivy Tech are here not only to help their students with their education, but also to help in many other ways. That’s why Ivy Tech has put together this “Community Connections” fair. Representatives from many agencies will be here on campus to answer questions, offer solutions, and provide assistance. They will be available to help with personal issues and general everyday concerns. This will give students a chance to help themselves and deal with issues that can be overwhelming at times.”

Community Connections is free and open to the public.

For more information about Community Connections, contact Joe Kapsa at (812) 330-6024 or email jkapsa@ivytech.edu. Ivy Tech-Bloomington is located on the corner of State Road 48W and Daniels Way on the west side of Bloomington.