Colorado State University Students Build Toys for Disadvantaged Children; Families Invited to Campus for Holiday Celebration

Colorado State University students will give away handmade wooden toys at a holiday party for families participating in Even Start, a family literacy program.

Colorado State will host the holiday celebration at the Lory Student Center from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 14. Parents and children involved in the Fort Collins Even Start program will be joined by Colorado State faculty, staff and students to enjoy food and entertainment. During the evening, students from the department of manufacturing technology and construction management will present the children with 525 toys, including wooden animals, trucks, tops and games for fun and learning.

"This is an opportunity for parents and children to become more familiar with the campus," said Cathy Love, associate dean in the College of Applied Human Sciences at Colorado State. "For some Even Start families, Colorado State University is a foreign place, and pursuing higher education doesn’t seem like a possibility. Events like this help show families that universities are accessible and that attending college can be a realistic step."

The Fort Collins Even Start program is administered by the College of Applied Human Sciences and is supported by a partnership between the College of Applied Human Sciences and Poudre School District. The program is based in a mobile home community in Fort Collins. Services include reading sessions for parents and students, after- school tutoring, field trips and computer instruction. Colorado State students volunteer time to work with program participants.

Even Start began nine years ago as a national family literacy program.