Thursday, November 07, 2013

Nonprofit Thursday | The Cleveland Council of Black Colleges Alumni Association; The Gathering Place

The 11th annual HBCU College Fair will take place a week next weekend, Saturday, November 16, from 8AM until 2PM at the Warrensville Heights High School, 4270 Northfield Road.

Organizers of the fair are hopeful that this year’s fair will be the biggest yet. The Cleveland Council of Black Colleges Alumni Association anticipates more than 40 HBCU schools, educational exhibitors and vendors will participate in the fair. The committee has received online registrations from more than 600 students, parents and educators who plan to take advantage of the many opportunities of the day.

Every high school senior and recent high school graduate who registers for the Fair will have the chance to complete the Common Black College Application for admission at no cost. This common application is accepted at 32 specific HBCUs, some of which will be onsite at the fair. This general college application is presented by EDU, Inc. EDU president Robert Mason says, “Over 97% of the students who have used the services, have been accepted to at least one of the HBCUs that accept the EDU, Inc. application.”

The Fair will feature “Fast Track Workshops” designed to help prepare students for young adulthood. Attendees will have the opportunity to select morning or afternoon sessions and be able to rotate freely among various concurrent workshops along with the college fair. Workshop presenters will be on hand to provide information and resources from scholarships and internships to college visits and financial planning.

Another new feature being introduced this year is the HBCU Experience Showcase. Performances by the Warrensville Hts. High School Marching Band and Cheerleaders, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Drumline, Firestone Dance & Step Team, the Alpha ESQuires, and the Distinguished Gentlemen of Spoken Word will display the talents of area youth in presentations designed to display the style and flavor of a typical black college campus.

The night before the college fair will see area HBCU graduates gather to celebrate at an “I Love My HBCU – Alumni Mixer & Recognition Celebration.” Lester Holmes, college fair chairman, sees the mixer as “an exciting time to allow HBCU alumni and those who are interested in learning more about HBCUs to meet, exchange ideas and thank the many supporters of the fair, all while we plan to recruit the next generation of students to attend our colleges and universities.”

This Alumni Mixer, a first for Cleveland, will provide an opportunity for alumni and supporters to network and socialize while raising the awareness of HBCUs. The free event will be held at Silks Restaurant and Bar at Thistledown Racino on Friday Nov. 15th at 6:30pm. and includes a complimentary buffet.


To learn more about fair registration, workshops, student showcase, and the HBCU Alumni Mixer visit www.hbcualumnicle.com or call 216-282-4228.

Gathering Place seeking small favor with big payoff
The Gathering Place is asking area citizens to support their campaign to be the Charity of Choice of Southwest General Health Center put together a pink glove video to promote breast cancer awareness and they’ve chosen The Gathering Place to be their Charity of Choice to receive $25,000 if their video receives the most votes. Could you please vote and then send to your colleagues, family and friends to vote.

Use this link to see the video and vote for The Gathering Place. Tomorrow, November 8 is the final day to vote in this contest.

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