Students and community service partners meet at bi-annual CIA Fair

Zipporah Jones  and Kayla Sims

MC301 Contributors/ Staff

Jackson State University held its annual Community in Action Fair on Jan 31 in the Student Center Ballrooms.

JSU Community Service Coordinator Kimberly Harris has hosted the fair for six years.

“The fair is held once a semester and we’ve been doing it since I’ve been here,” she said. “Every semester we have agencies throughout Jackson to come and give students information on how to receive community service and service learning that can be put on a resume,” said Harris.

Harris said a diverse range of community service partners are invited to the fair each year.

“Each year we try to get 50 agencies and this is on a first come, first serve basis,” she said.

Students attended the program to gain valuable information about the community service efforts that were available on and off campus.

The CIA fair offered many JSU students the opportunity to get involved with their community through different programs, some on campus and some off campus.

Students had a wide range of community partners to choose from, including the Jackson Zoo, W.E.B. Dubois Honors College, Children’s Musuem, The Boys and Girls Club of Mississippi, Our Time Adult Day Care Services, Wesley Foundation and many more.

Places like the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mississippi, an organization that offers various programs from youths aged 5 to 18 years old, offers many community service opportunities to those who want to work with kids in the community.

Natasha Gilbert, a case a manager for the Boys and Girls Club, describes what she enjoys most about serving children in the community.

“I enjoy working with and being hands on with the children the most.  I also enjoy being a guide even outside of our program to these children in the community. We really can be there for them (children),” said Gilbert.

Tanya Gibbons, also from Boys and Girls Club said kids love working with students.

“I believe they can relate more, because most of the kids have older siblings and the college kids act as another sibling. I really enjoy watching the kids interact with each other, especially the young men. We need more college boys mentoring, because it sets a good example for the kids who have no example,” said Gibbons.

Shannon Williams from Our Time Adult Day Care Services, said she enjoy watching students engage with people at the daycare.

“Most of the people at our facility are lonely and respond better when students come,” said  Williams, who explained that the students volunteering were the best part of her job.

Other organizations that attended the fair focused specifically on service through counseling and guidance.

Tamar Counseling Group, a group that caters to children who have experienced trauma, is one of these organizations.

Kelly Graham, an intern at the Tamar Counseling Group, described what their organization does.

“It is general counseling for kids who have undergone any traumatic or sexual abuse as well as a parent’s divorce,” said Graham.

Graham also described why she enjoyed working with Tamar Counseling.

“For me, it was just a way of meeting a different variety of people,” said Graham.

Students who attended the fair talked about how events like this benefit them.

Tianna Hamilton, a freshman history major from Baton Rouge, La., said she really liked the idea of the fair.

“I have to have 120 hours of community service and I plan on getting all of them this semester. Whoever came up with this idea really made it easy. It’s sad that more people don’t take advantage of this opportunity,” said Hamilton.

Some students, like Terrence Phillips, believe the skills the students learn at the sites are skills that can accommodate be used in their future careers.

“This is an amazing opportunity for students that are about to graduate,” said Phillips, a senior elementary education major from Canton, Miss. “I graduate this spring and even though I do not need any more community service hours, I find this helpful.”

Harris says this is the most promising year yet.

“My goal for this year was accomplished. We had students sign up for several different vendors and most of them were excited about it. That’s a first for me, seeing students so engaged,” said Harris.