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09.30.05 Fair offers community service opportunities for students Numerous opportunities were offered by area agencies and ministries during the annual Volunteer Service Fair at the Bowie Arts Center on the Erskine College campus Thursday. Representatives of about 70 organizations were on hand for the event, which was started nine years ago by Associate Dean of Students Penny Thomas. The fair was followed by a luncheon in the Founders Room of Moffatt Dining Hall with WYFF-TV news anchor Michael Cogdill as guest speaker. College Chaplain Paul Patrick gave the opening prayer, Executive Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Donald Weatherman welcomed agency representatives, Thomas introduced attendees and Erskine student Lindsey Willis gave the closing prayer. "The luncheon was filled with an air of hope and a commitment that those in need do not stand alone," Thomas said. The banners of familiar national organizations such as the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, Hospice and Young Life were on display as were the emblems of such local groups such as A Place for Us, Anderson Interfaith Ministries, Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, Emerald Center, Greater Greenwood United Ministry, MEGS House and the Sexual Trauma and Counseling Center. The American Red Cross has been in the news a lot lately because of its intervention with the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, but volunteer John Hilton said the organization's mission remains the same. Hilton said the Greenwood County Chapter's primary role is to make people aware of how to protect themselves in situations they do have control over. He said his presence at the Service Fair at Erskine this week was to encourage people to volunteer for the agency. Hilton said he is retired, but he volunteers to "give back a little bit of what I've been blessed with," a theme that resonated throughout the Service Fair event. Hoyt Dorn of the American Cancer Society said it is a lot easier to talk to students since his agency has an established relationship with Erskine through the college’s annual Relay for Life event. He said the organization's first priority is to make students aware of "who we are and what we try to accomplish." Dorn said Erskine had its fourth Relay for Life last spring and raised more than $10,000 — quite an accomplishment for a school with 600 students. "Every year, the amount of money they've raised has gone up," he said. "It's great to see the commitment of the students." The continued success of the Erskine Relay event is a motivational tool for each year of the event at the Due West campus, but also for other colleges and universities. Dorn said the success of Erskine's Relay resulted in nearby Lander University in Greenwood having its first Relay event this past spring. Relay for Life has developed into the American Cancer Society's largest fund-raiser with 4,400 events each year, plus the "enhancers" such as the one at Erskine and mini-Relays, Dorn said.
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