Students walking through the Pit on Wednesday have lost a prime excuse not to be involved in the Orange County community.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and the Carolina Center for Public Health hosted the sixth-annual Chamber Volunteer Fair in an effort to get students involved in the community.
Co-sponsored by The Chapel Hill News, student government and the University's Graduate and Professional School, 49 organizations were represented at the fair. The organizations ranged from mentors for community youth to rape crisis center volunteers.
Bob Ward, a member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the community relations committee, said he believes the fair is a chance to bring the community organizations to the campus for students to know their options.
"It certainly exposes students to different organizations in the community," he said. "Students benefit from the organizations and organizations benefit from the students."
This has become increasingly important, said Amy King, business manager of the Carolina Center for Public Service.
"The event draws focus on what needs to be done in the community, since a lot of attention has been on the victims of Hurricane Katrina," she said.
King said that students have contributed to the relief efforts in New Orleans but that they also should realize there is work to be done on the local level.
Students seemed to appreciate the event, coming out sporadically to the Pit in an effort to visit tables.
