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The community fair is way for the local business and organizations to reach out to the local community and provide information about what they are doing and inspire people to become part of it. It helps them spread their missions and bring attention to their upcoming events and projects and put their names out there. The Community fair also Showcase some issues in the community and raise awareness about it.
Pittsburg State hosted a community fair on Tuesday Aug. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Oval. The fair was well attended with over 40 participants from different business and organizations from around the county.
“We are here today to trying to get the young folks registered to vote and for them to understand how easy it is to do that and how important it is,” said Julie Rybnick, director of elections for Crawford county.
Rybnick wanted to raise awareness about the importance of registering to vote as a college student.
“It’s the largest age group with low voting percentages… it is important for them to vote because it’s their lives and their future,” Rybnick said.
Rybnick said the students who attend Kansas schools but have a home address in another state can register to vote in Kansas and use their home address as their mailing address.
“We live in a country where you have a say and choose who your leaders are… it’s a very important and especially this age group of people we are just working really hard to get those people out and to the polls,” Rybnick said.
Ali Smith prevention education specialist at safehouse Christ center participated in the community fair.
“Our organization is a nonprofit organization that works with victims and survivors of domestic violence sexual violence, human trafficking in south east Kansas,” Smith said.
Safehouse Christ Center provides shelter and advocacy services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Southeast Kansas.
“This impacts every population and we know that it impacts college students as well… so we are here giving out our information to college students and making sure that our services are available… they are free and confidential.” Smith said.
Jaquelin Bouchie, junior in communication participated in the fair with the international student association.
“We are giving people information about the study abroad programs that we have each semester and each year for the students of Pittsburg State… we are also giving information about the Pitt Pal program,” Bouchie said.
Bouchie explained the Pitt Pal as an organization where an American student is paired up with an international student that studies at Pitt State.
“It’s a semester–long commitment, but you get a true friend out of it which it turns out to a lifelong friendship… also, to show them what an American college lifestyle looks like.”
“I was a part of the study abroad programs myself… I spent a month in Finland this summer and luckily Pittsburg State worked with me and I got all my credits from Finland transferred to here,” Bouchie said.
Bouchie said that she had an amazing experience with the Study Abroad programs in Finland.
“The faculty-led are pretty cool… if you have never been out of the country you basically have someone that has done it that has all information and knows everything and then they can kind of give you better insight to the culture that you are learning about,” Bouchie said.
Students can look up online at the Pittsburg State University website and search study abroad to apply or make an appointment with Angela Moots the study abroad coordinator in the international programs and services office in Whitsitt hall.
