Case Western Reserve University is a university that promotes and celebrates students’ involvement and engagement in the community. This commitment will be showcased this weekend at the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning’s community service fair and the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration kickoff.

The CCEL community service fair will take place today, Friday, Jan. 18, from 12:30 – 2 p.m. in Thwing Center.

“The Community Service Fair is an opportunity for students to explore the many ways they can get involved in the community, whether that be through volunteering, summer service internships, or post-graduate service opportunities,” said Angela Lowery, the Student Service Coordinator at CCEL. “We hold the fair at the beginning of the spring semester because we realize that the fall can be a really busy time, and people may not have had a chance to get involved.”

There will be over 45 community and student organizations for students to learn about at the fair. These will include the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, Global Medical Initiative, and the CWRU Labre Program.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to make blankets to support Project Linus, an organization that gives blankets to ill children. The service project is being organized by Mistletoe Residential College.

“The fair represents a great kick-off to Martin Luther King Jr. week because it embodies Dr. King’s spirit of service and community partnership,” Lowery said.

Every year, CWRU celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of social justice and empowerment through a series of events, beginning with the student luncheon and symposium.

On Monday, Jan. 21, select CWRU undergraduate and graduate students, along with faculty and staff members, will attend a luncheon and symposium to discuss achieving a culture of tolerance and humanity. Throughout the rest of the week, there will be events in tribute of Martin Luther King, Jr., hosted by various CWRU organizations.

The celebrations will conclude at the MLK Convocation on Jan. 25 at 12:30 pm in the Amasa Stone Chapel. This year’s featured convocation speaker is lawyer and Harvard professor Lani Guinier.

Guinier was the first black woman appointed to tenured professorship at Harvard Law School, and has led several civil rights campaigns, and authored several books on subjects such as educational equity and race and diversity.

All are welcome to attend the convocation.