By William Kim
In preparation for an inclusive Halloween, Springfield College’s YMCA Club held its club meeting on the outside lawn of Campus Union adjacent to the James Naismith statue Tuesday afternoon during common hour. Students and community members were welcome to assemble and decorate a Halloween trick-or-treat paper bag, and eat lunch courtesy of the YMCA.
McKenna Cawley, a sophomore and the club’s vice president, explained the inspiration behind the idea to host the Tuesday afternoon meeting outside on the Campus Union lawn.
“We recently visited the Teal Pumpkin Party at a New York capital district YMCA. Basically, it is a friendly, allergy-free, candy alternative way to celebrate Halloween,” Cawley said.
The Halloween assembly line had three traditional centerfold tables connected together to create the production line. It started with a standard lunch-sized brown paper bag and markers to express their decorative skills. Then, candy alternatives like glow sticks, colorful plastic spider rings, YMCA Hall of Fame twisting click pens, and lunch were offered to people in line for the thematic, fall festive, candy-transferring cultural observance day.
The leadership team of Cawley and president Fiona Allen made the experience outside Campus Union uplifting and a joy for the YMCA staff and attendees. The decision to move the Y club meeting outside was also strategically beneficial as an advertisement for the Humanics in Action club’s Treat Fest.
Treat Fest is a Halloween alternative event for people seeking a family-friendly event to play games and enjoy a joyful Springfield community gathering, and one of the biggest events that the club The Humanics in Action club hosts a number of events to engage the campus community, and helps contribute to events such as the Earth Day pick-up, hygiene bags and also supporting the student-ran food recovery network club.
The Treat Fest will be taking place on Oct. 29 inside the Judd Gymnasium from 5–7 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Chelsea Taylor