A scene at last year’s Cesar Chavez Fair. Photo by Lee Choo.

California State University, Northridge is hosting its fourth annual Cesar Chavez Service Fair on Tuesday, March 25, in honor of the late civil rights and union leader Cesar Chavez.

The fair, designed to provide students an opportunity to learn about ways they can volunteer in the community, is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. along the walkway in front of Bayramian Hall on the west side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“One of the main values of the CSUN mission is to serve our community through civic engagement,” said Justin Weiss, coordinator of the volunteer program Unified We Serve in CSUN’s Matador Involvement Center. “Unified We Serve created this event to honor the value of the service of Cesar Chavez, and to promote service to our students and create easy access for our students to learn how they can make a difference in the community.”

About 50 nonprofit organizations from the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles area will be participating. The nonprofits will provide students with information about volunteer opportunities. In addition, there will be free salsa dance lessons and food.

Chavez was an American civil rights leader who dedicated his life to improving working conditions and the quality of life for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. He founded what is today known as the United Farm Workers. CSUN will be closed March 31 in observance of Chavez’s life.

“I hope that attendees of the fair will walk away with a sense of motivation to give back to their local communities and help those who are not afforded the same privileges and resources that so many of us are,” Weiss said. “One of the great aspects of our campus culture is the history of social justice and civic engagement. A lot of the efforts that improved our campus and the local community have come from service and volunteerism. The fourth annual Cesar Chavez Service Fair offers yet another great opportunity for our students to continue that legacy of service.”

For more information about the event, visit the Unified We Serve website.

Students, Unified We Serve, Volunteers