On behalf of the fall and Halloween season we wanted to bring you a special highlight. So many chapters have participated in such great Halloween/Fall themed activities and we want to share them with everyone!
Members at the University of Akron Chapter participated in Akron’s Boo at the Zoo, where they spent 5 and a half hours volunteering and handing out candy as kids trick-or-treated around the Akron Zoo.
The James Madison University Chapter had a big group of members take a trip to the local pumpkin patch together to celebrate the fall/Halloween season! At the pumpkin patch they went through a corn maze, saw a pig race, and got pumpkins for Halloween! Members and officers stated, “This was such a fun bonding activity. I think we all got to know each other better and had a fun time running through the mazes and picking out the perfect pumpkin.”
Old Dominion University Chapter members participated in an event called Haunted Halls. The chapter co-sponsored Haunted Halls with the Resident Hall Association, and students were asked to bring canned food items for admission into this event. During Haunted Halls it was the job of the SAL members to take pictures at the end of the tour. In order for a group to get their pictures taken they had to download a rice app, for which every app downloaded a spoon of rice is donated to feed a person in need. All the cans were donated to the Resident Hall Association for their charity program. SAL participants from the ODU Chapter said, “The program had a great turnout. A lot of cans were donated and many apps were downloaded. Overall it was a great activity.”
Grand Valley State University Chapter members participated in a spooky Forest of Fear! Forest of Fear is a haunted forest that is provided to the public in Caledonia, Michigan. Volunteers for this event were encouraged to get dressed up, have their faces painted, and participate in various “scenes” and acts of scaring the customers as they walk through the forest. Members that participated thought that the forest was an overall success, as well as a fun activity for them that allowed them to break their social barrier while getting to know their fellow SAL members and the other volunteers!
Purdue University Chapter members also volunteered their time at their local Boo at the Zoo. Boo at the Zoo is an annual event held for children to dress up in Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat around the zoo. Boo at the Zoo Columbian Park Coordinators assigned the SAL group to several various tasks around the park, mostly to decorate the park in a Halloween fashion. The activities consisted of spreading imitation cobwebs around bushes and small trees, unloading pumpkins, picking up sticks, and painting posters. Aside from helping to set up the event, the members and officers also dressed up as Humpty Dumpty and the three kings and stood by the train tracks and acted out a skit for every time that the train went by. SAL participants thought that these groups were great for getting to know the members better, especially the pumpkin unloading activity due to the fact that 1800 pumpkins were unloaded and placed via a “fireman brigade” system. Overall the experience was a success!
The Colorado State University Chapter had its members and officers get together to go on a Ghost Tour! During the ghost tour they went over the history and creepy tales that occur at their Oval on campus. They also got to learn about the oldest part of their school. Most importantly they reported that everyone that attended had fun and it is definitely an event that they would like to do again!
East Tennessee State University Chapter members volunteered at a Fall Festival. This Fall Festival was hosted by an after school kid’s program called Rise Up that the chapter is beginning to get involved with. The ETSU Chapter ran carnival games and helped set up a haunted house, as well as started a bonfire so the kids could roast marshmallows! During this event they were able to work one on one with the kids that they will be tutoring in the future and felt like it was very rewarding to see how much fun they were having. The members who attended and helped out truly made a difference that day!
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Chapter participated in a Halloween Carnival in the Trask Coliseum on their campus. They set up a table and dressed up and played games with the kids!
So many great and rewarding fall and Halloween activities have occurred by so many different chapters and we are delighted to see it! From creative ways to collect cans for Food Fight Against Hunger, to spending time socializing with other SAL members, to helping children have a good time, our SAL chapters are making sure to get involved and make a difference! Great job everyone and keep it up!!
