National Student Partnerships To Share Its History, Affirm Its Vision At National Headquarters Open House On April 17

4/11/2002

From: Rob Banaszak of National Student Partnerships, 202-289-2073 or 202-257-9649 (cell)

News Advisory:

National Student Partnerships (NSP) will share its history, address its mission and affirm its vision when the organization hosts an open house at its Downtown Washington, D.C. national headquarters on April 17. NSP, founded in 1998, will use the opportunity to introduce and re-introduce itself to members of the national non-profit community, including fellow volunteer organizations, direct service providers, business leaders, lawmakers and philanthropists. NSP is the nation's only student-driven volunteer service organization that links Americans in need with critical personal, social, and business resources to help them obtain and maintain regular employment.

"NSP has been helping Americans in need since 1998," said CEO, Co-Founder and Co-Chair Kirsten Lodal. "Since then we have built a solid national infrastructure, and are confident in our capability and capacity to create the vision we have for our nation." Lodal and Co-Founder Brian Kreiter created NSP while undergraduate students at Yale University as a response to the widening socioeconomic gap existing between the New Haven community and the university's campus. Since its inception in 1998, NSP has grown from one New Haven basement office to nine volunteer student-run Local Offices affiliated with top universities around the country.

NSP operates a national network of drop-in resource centers, staffed by student volunteers from area colleges and universities, that provide immediate research and problem-solving services to community residents in need of assistance finding sustainable employment, social services, and/or educational opportunities. NSP's mission is to ensure that all Americans have access to the services, opportunities, and attention they need in their pursuit of employment, self-sufficiency, and personal success. NSP's vision is a national movement of students grounded in direct action and committed to strengthening the networks of community support for all Americans. NSP currently has student-run Local Offices in the Bronx, N.Y.; Cambridge, Mass.; Durham, N.C.; Evanston, Ill.; New Haven, Conn.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Richmond, Va.; San Antonio, Texas; and Washington, D.C.

The April 17 Open House will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at NSP's national headquarters, 800 7th Street NW Suite 300, Washington, D.C., 20001. For more information, call 202-289-1151.