Book Fair and Bake Sale Held in Campus Center

Last Thursday, there was a book fair and a bake sale in the Siek Campus Center, and holiday decorations, CDs, DVDs, baked goods, and books were on display for sale. All items were sold at a discounted price.

Kimberly Hamilton, an HVCC student, said it was “pretty amazing” to have the book fair and that she was excited to be part of it this semester. She said it allows students who are also parents to teach their children to learn as their parents learn. “Reading is fun,” she said.

Students passing through the Campus Center stopped to take a look at the event, and some made purchases. Beverly White, the contractor for the group the book fair supported this year, said that there is “never the same bookstore twice” and it is “always for a cause.”

Although she often finds herself at hospitals or large corporations, White said she always enjoys going to college campuses because she can interact with students.

The school’s goal is to have a book fair twice a year, one for each semester. The cause that the fair helped out this time around provided for a special organization on campus, WE@HVCC.

WE@HVCC, or Women’s Enterprise at Hudson Valley Community College, is an organization dedicated to the continuing education of students and faculty. To quote its website, Women’s Enterprise’s aim is to “provide support and assistance to address special needs identified by [its] members.”

Scholarships awarded to faculty and staff members have amounted to, collectively through the years, over $10,000. Recent winners include Clement W. Campana of the Physical Plant and Shawnna M. Case of the Center for Counseling and Transfer, among others.

The woman in charge of WE@HVCC is Joan Russo, co-chairperson, who has been a part of the organization since its inception in 1998. Russo said that the Book Fair benefits students in multiple ways and that she hopes the past success of the group will carry on into the future.

She maintained that anyone can join this cause. While recent years have proven to be financially difficult for the organization, Russo is “hoping to regroup…and promote opportunities” for members.

WE@HVCC holds an annual Spring Luncheon, during which the awards are given and refreshments are served. The event is open to all students, faculty, and staff.