Upcoming resource fair for students

By SAVANNAH LINDVAY, Staff Reporter ¦

From 9 in the morning to noon on Sept. 18, a slew of Amarillo College students will gather in the Oeschger mall of the Washington street campus. They will be there to partake in the Advocacy Resource Center (ARC) Resource Fair and all that it offers.

The fair is held annually in the beginning of the fall semester. It provides students with exposure to both campus and local community resources. At the fair students will be able to register to vote. The students will also have the opportunity to get a free partial eye exam, so they can see if they need glasses. These are only a few of the opportunities that will be available.

One of the primary goals of the fair is to “help the students realize what all they qualify for just for being students,” Ashley Hernandez, social services coordinator, said.

The fair has grown exponentially in the last two years in both student and vendor participation.

“Vendors are just as interested in students as students are in them,” Judith Lara, social services assistant, said.

Lara said the fair is all about fostering goodwill toward the students. “There is a lot of effort put into the event to make it appealing to students,” she said.

The event is colorful and has diverse vendors. The booths at the fair will range anywhere from banks, to non-profit organizations, to health care services and more.

The diversity of the fair “prevents students from having to jump through so many hoops” to obtain the resources, said Lara. Hernandez said it is meant to be a one-stop shop for students to make their lives a little simpler.

The Texas Health Department will also be at the fair to administer immunizations and help educate students about getting vaccinated.

Students will be eligible to sign up for a drawing to receive a $500 scholarship. They will need to look for the ARC table. There they can sign up by leaving their name, student identification number and phone number. Students do not have to be present at the time of the drawing to win the scholarship.