Northern holds second annual Community Involvement Fair

Montana State University-Northern held its second annual Community Involvement Fair Tuesday, an event trying to connect students and student groups with local non-profits and service organizations.

The event's organizer, Amber Spring, said the event was created, in part, as a way to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but since school is out that day they decided to do it the day after.

"MLK Day is thought of primarily as a holiday, but it was supposed to be a day of service," Spring said.

She said a lot of clubs on campus require or encourage a certain amount of community service and the goal of the day is not only to connect individual students with these organizations, but to connect the clubs with them as well.

Clubs and service organizations across the campus and the community set up booths in the Northern Student Union Building from noon to 4 p.m. trying to attract students interested in volunteer work.

There were booths from organizations like the Havre Salvation Army, Jaycees, Lions Club and more hoping to talk to students.

Spring said she's talking to people from the U.S. Department of Education's TRIO Programs to try to do some kind of large community service project next month and she hopes to be able to pass that information on to everyone who attended.

She said she also wants to give out a spreadsheet with contact information for all the community organizations to the people who come as well.