Loyola’s Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ) hosted its annual engagement fair on Jan. 23. CCSJ serves as an organization for students to immerse themselves into the city of Baltimore and its local establishments.
They emphasize service through academic courses, community development initiatives, scholarship, service experiences, and social justice programming. The Democracy and Civic Engagement Coordinator, Laura Crowley ‘27, spoke upon the best parts of the community engagement fair.
“My favorite part about the fair was getting to see people find service opportunities that resonated with them and get excited to be involved with CCSJ,” Crowley said.
CCSJ’s partner, a non-profit called Neighborhood Resilience, was present at the fair. This organization works with communities to promote health and well-being in Baltimore and beyond.

The Associate Director of Neighborhood Resilience, Adam Jackson, expressed his opinion about one of CCSJ’s largest events on campus, York Road Community Day. The event allows students to clean up debris on York Road. Jackson and his team works to create neighborhood-level youth development strategies in collaboration with Loyola these days.
“It gets lots of students and staff involved. At the community days, you can pop in at any time and get involved, and it’s also an invitation to CCSJ’s other programming. York Road Community Days provide the most opportunity to get involved quickly, and there is a wide variety of products that we offer for it,” Jackson said.
He spoke out about what makes CCSJ so unique at Loyola, and he revealed his genuine passions of social justice in and around Baltimore.
“I love our commitment to social justice and community engagement, and I think that the surrounding neighborhoods benefit greatly when students and staff volunteer to invest in the community,” Jackson said.
Neighborhood Resilience was just one of the many opportunities present at the fair. There were also several tables advertising tutoring programs for elementary and middle school students.
Govans Elementary School offers the opportunity to tutor students in reading after school. The Service Coordinator for Govans Elementary Tutoring, Charlotte Case ‘27, discussed her experiences in the field.
“I am able to help fight a system that continues to deprive all kids with equal opportunity and access to education. Govans Elementary is an amazing school that dedicates so much time and resources to ensuring Baltimore youth get the education they deserve,” Case said.
Other tutoring experiences offered are the Tunbridge Public Charter School. The program offers tutoring sessions in math, reading, and science. Bridges is also a beneficial experience for Loyola students to mentor and tutor students from third to 12th grade.
CCSJ is offering other opportunities to get involved with nonprofits and organizations, such as GEDCO Cares, Soul Kitchen, Forever-Green Thrifting, CASA De Maryland, and The Refugee Youth Project.
To learn more about what CCSJ is offering this semester, visit @loyolaccsj on Instagram or visit The Bridge.