More Than 200 CSU, Community Volunteers to Educate Local Students, Visit Residents With Good Neighbor Advice

Note to Reporters: A photo is available with the news release at news.colostate.edu.

More than 200 volunteers — CSU police, faculty, staff and students, and City of Fort Collins police, staff and long-term residents — join together Aug. 28 to usher in a new school year. The event is managed by CSU’s Off-Campus Life and the City of Fort Collins Neighborhood Services.

This year, Community Welcome is expanding to new neighborhoods in order to reach more residents. Volunteers will visit more than 2,000 residences and will hand out “Grow Our Community” cards with plantable cards infused with wildflower seeds. These cards encourage neighbors to meet each other and share contact information.

“We hope the ‘Grow Your Community’ cards will cultivate a spirit of community and encourage students and long-term residents to engage early as new people move into the area,” said Emily Allen, community liaison for CSU and the City of Fort Collins. “The Fort Collins community is ever evolving, and each year a neighborhood surrounding the university may look different. From encouraging people to meet face to face, to exchanging cell phone numbers so text messages may be sent, Community Welcome serves an essential role in reminding all residents the importance of communicating with your neighbors.”

Other common neighborhood issues like noise, weeds, barking dogs and sidewalk snow removal are explained to help all neighbors stay clear of violating local ordinances and potential fines. Students living on CSU’s campus will receive information about neighborhood expectations before they move into the Fort Collins community.

“Our goal of distributing information on campus is to help students learn how to be a good neighbor when they move off campus,” said Jeannie Ortega, director of CSU’s Off-Campus Life.

For more information about CSU and the City’s efforts in neighborhood relations, visit www.ocl.colostate.edu/community-welcome and www.fcgov.com/neighborhoods.

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