Amelia Roberts-Rands graduated from Connecticut College 38 years ago, but her recent $25,000 gift to Conn's Office of Volunteers for Community Service is a good reason to recognize the private liberal arts institution's outstanding community outreach.

The grant from the 1973 alumna, made through the Rands Foundation that she and her husband, Robert Rands, founded to support programs and organizations that effect social change, will enhance existing programs that engage Conn students and staff in tutoring, mentoring, and health and wellness sessions in the city, particularly in its schools.

Volunteerism is part of Connecticut College's mission: putting the liberal arts into action. And that is just what Project Kids, Books and Athletics (KBA), one of the programs that will benefit, does. It matches college students with city students to work on literacy and increase physical fitness. One component of KBA brings public middle school students to the Conn campus twice a week during the school year to study and recreate with the college kids. There are sessions with preschool, after-school and elementary school students. The college volunteers also mentor city students and individually tutor them.

No money can buy the benefits that can flow from exposing city children to the opportunities at Conn and planting the seed that hard work in school pays dividends. Connecticut College has fine programs that integrate the college and city. The Rands funds will help to keep those programs chugging. That's a benefit for New London.