Off-Campus Life and Neighborhood Services in the City of Fort Collins are excited to bring back the annual Community Welcome, an event dedicated to educating students and their neighbors about university and city expectations and resources to help foster good relationships within neighborhoods.

Each year, volunteers, who include community members as well as CSU faculty, staff, and students, visit more than 2,000 residences around campus and talk with neighbors about various topics. Often, Community Welcome serves to raise the community’s awareness of new and existing ordinances and resources in Fort Collins. Volunteers encourage neighbors to get out and meet each other.

This year marks 21 years of the event, which will be held on Aug. 25 from 4-8:30 p.m., when teams of university and city employees canvas neighborhoods near the Main Campus and provide information.

“Community Welcome could not be successful without the support of volunteers,” said Lindsay Mason, director of Off-Campus Life. “Our volunteers come from a broad range of city and university offices and provide expertise when canvassing neighborhoods to answer questions from students and city residents. These teams provide information about anything that helps create harmony between student and non-student city residents. For example, students will learn about everything from snow removal expectations to the party registration system that provides them with an opportunity to get a phone call warning for a noise violation before police visit their home.”

Increased police presence on campus, in Lory Student Center

Volunteers for Community Welcome include a number of CSUPD and Fort Collins Police Services officers. This means that there will be a significant number of police cars parked near the Lory Student Center during the orientation meeting held before teams spread out across the area, and is not an indication of an emergency on campus or in the building.

University employees may still volunteer for Community Welcome

Interested in volunteering for the event? Volunteers receive a complimentary dinner and dessert. Sign up is available at ocl.colostate.edu/community-welcome. The preferred registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 20.

This year’s orientation will include welcoming remarks by CSU President Joyce McConnell and Fort Collins Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Emily Gorgol.