Bainbridge College (BC) will host a picnic lunch and special registration Saturday, Oct. 11, for the employees of American Fibers and Yarns, who will lose their jobs Oct. 17 when the company closes its doors due to bankruptcy.

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The college is creating classes that will begin Monday, Oct. 20, so that these employees can immediately begin working toward new careers.

“Of the 247 employees, we are planning on around 85 new students as well as another 65 or so who will return to college,” said BC Admissions Director Connie Snyder, who is organizing the event.

Families of American Fiber employees are also invited. There will be games for children and music by Port City Strings beginning at 10 a.m. Presentations and lunch begin at 11:30 a.m., with registration following.

Many from the community and the college have donated items for the day, including (as of press time) Steven Jones, owner of the Pond House, hamburgers and hot dogs; Vic Pemberton, owner of Pepi Food Services, paper products; Bainbridge College Barnes and Noble Bookstore, door prizes; faculty and staff, desserts.

“I want to thank everyone for their overwhelming response to this event. We have so many desserts that we may give some away as door prizes,” Ms. Snyder said.

The Student Government Association and Student Ambassadors will also help Saturday, answering questions, giving tours and making student identification cards.

Faculty and staff from the college will be present to meet prospective students and answer questions about the programs offered. College book publisher Townsend Press will give away a copy of Making the Most of Your Life to each person enrolling for classes and has contributed entire class sets of textbooks for Learning Support English and reading classes.

In preparation for Saturday, Snyder, Bridget Schwartz of the Admissions Office and Beth Harrell of the Financial Aid Office visited the American Fibers and Yarns (AFY) plant as early as 5:30 a.m. last week and stayed late in the evenings to help AFY employees complete forms and get ready for college.

“You could see the ray of hope start taking place while we were there,” Snyder said. “We are so excited about the opportunity we are providing, and we’re so thankful to all who are helping dreams become reality for those who have lost their jobs.”