College of DuPage Sponsors Family Community Service Fair April 30

College of DuPage's Early Childhood Education and Care program will sponsor the Family Community Service Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 30, at the B.R. Ryall YMCA, 49 Deicke Drive, Glen Ellyn.

Free and open to the public, this first-time event is aimed at early childhood-age children to help them learn about community involvement. Hands-on activities for the children include coloring pictures for residents at Harbor Lights Hospice, preparing care kits for Humanitarian Service Project, making thank you cards for Frontline Families, which serves military families, and assembling thank you bags for the nurses who care for children with severe medical needs at Almost Home Kids. Children can also paint square ceramic tiles that will be assembled into a mural and hung in the student study area for the Early Childhood academic program, located in the Early Childhood Center on the College's campus in Glen Ellyn.

Jean Zaar, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Early Childhood Education and Care, said the idea came from the "Child, Family and Community Relations" course.

"Our students are required to complete service learning credit, and we decided an event like this is a great way to help early childhood-age children begin to understand community resources," she said. "It gives them a starting point that will help them develop social awareness and responsibility as they grow."

In addition to the many hands-on activities, the event will be a drop-off donation area for such organizations as the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, Peoples Resource Center and Teen Parent Connection.

Zaar said the event is a way for families to connect with each other through participation in child-friendly activities that benefit the community.

"The Family Community Service Fair will help young children see what they can do to make a difference in people's lives," she said. "It's a unique opportunity for families to create a sense of social responsibility."

Registration is recommended. For more information about the event, including lists of items for the drop-off donation area, visit www.cod.edu/family. For additional questions, email zaarj@cod.edu. For more information about the Early Childhood Education and Care program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/ecec, email counseling@cod.edu or call (630) 942-2259.

College of DuPage is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Serving approximately 28,000 students each term, College of DuPage is the largest public community college in the state of Illinois. The College grants nine associate degrees and offers more than 170 career and technical certificates in over 50 areas of study.