February 23, 2006 — Even longtime residents of the Charlottesville area would be surprised to learn about some of the 400 services and programs that the University of Virginia provides. Did you know that U.Va. offers local residents free counseling on career planning and family relationships? Or that every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. an expert from the Medical School gives a talk on current health-related topics, such as the latest advice on how to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s?  And that students with reading difficulties can get a thorough reading diagnosis and one-on-one tutoring from experienced graduate student teachers? Discovering and partaking in the array of University offerings is much easier if you have a copy of the newly published “Community Resource Guide,” which describes these services in an easy-to-use format.

The guide is produced by U.Va.’s Office of Community Relations and updated every three years. It covers athletics, cultural activities, educational services and special services, and provides comprehensive information on the U.Va. Medical Center. “The guide helps residents learn how to take advantage of the University’s resources,” said Ida Lee Wootten, director of community relations.

In the guide you’ll also find that Law School students offer free help with income tax filing for low-income and elderly residents. The Art Museum organizes a summer arts academy for fourth- to 12th- grade students who create art in a variety of mediums and then see it exhibited in the museum at the end of the summer. The Cancer Center provides a variety of support groups for patients and their loved ones, and even a room full of wigs  for women and men who may lose their hair during treatment. There are numerous Internet resources, including a Web site dedicated to the architecture of Thomas Jefferson, with drawings, photographs and three-dimensional models; a site on “How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life” where visitors can e-mail questions to U.Va. professors; and an American studies site with a number of museum-quality electronic exhibits exploring aspects of American culture.

The guide may be downloaded or viewed online at www.virginia.edu/communityrelations. Single copies are available free of charge; multiple copies cost $2 each. To request copies, contact U.Va.’s Community Relations Office at P.O. Box 400229, Charlottesville, VA 22904, via e-mail at communityrelations@virginia.edu or by phone at (434) 924-1321.

Wootten noted that in addition to the guide, the Outreach Virginia Web site provides descriptions of services and programs that the University offers.