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Connecticut College and the NLHHC to host ´May Move Out´ sale to raise money for homeless

May 15, 2008

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Every summer, Connecticut College´s dormitories empty out as students scatter around the world to complete internships, volunteer, travel and enjoy summer vacation. And every summer, they leave their final projects on their professors´ desks, their artwork hanging in the college galleries and their unwanted furniture - sofas, futons, desks, chairs, bookcases, lamps, rugs, coffee tables, microwaves, fridges, fans and air conditioners - by the curb.

This year, Connecticut College and the New London Homeless Hospitality Center (NLHHC) have asked students to donate unwanted, useable furniture items, which will be sold at a "May Move Out" tag sale June 7 in the Dayton Arena at Connecticut College. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the NLHHC.

"In the past, these unwanted furniture items - many of which are still in very good condition - have been thrown away," Amy Cabaniss, Connecticut College´s campus environmental coordinator, said. "This year, not only will we be donating these items to a needy charity, but we will be reducing waste and recycling useable items."

Donated items are being collected outside of student dormitories each weekday through May 20 by volunteers and guests of the NLHHC. Items in good condition will be sold at discounted prices at a tag sale, Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"This is a win-win situation for the college and for the New London Homeless Hospitality Center," Cathy Zall, executive director of the NLHHC, said. "The college does not need to dump good items, and the center will benefit from the proceeds of the sale."

Zall added that by participating in the collection effort, "guests of the center will feel an ownership in the project and they will be helping us help them to find housing, jobs and get back on their feet."

The NLHHC provides an overnight shelter and daytime drop-in center for homeless adults in New London. The center also helps homeless individuals access transitional housing, employment opportunities, health care and social services.

Among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 41 states, the District of Columbia and 71 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 86-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.

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For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu