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Hello, all!
I am so thrilled to share with you some details about our first ever Cardinal Crew Fall Festival, which took place this past Friday. As you know, this time of year calls for sweaters, spooky decor, pumpkins, costumes, and lots of candy. As a kid, I remember having ideas for 10 different costumes I wanted to wear each Halloween. So we thought - why not give the kids an extra day to play games and dress up? From Princess Cinderella to Batman to Scooby Doo, we were met with over 8 families ready to join the fun.
The event started around 6:30 PM, and guests continued pouring in throughout the evening. Kids and families were welcomed with hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, drinks, and mounds of sugar. The only catch to this Halloween? You had to play games to earn your treats. The competitions sparked as attendees did a hula hoop pumpkin toss, corn hole, “Kick the Candy Corn” soccer game, and the “Lucky Duck” prize game. For our less competitive kiddos, we let loose with a face painting station and dance floor. Let me tell you - Monster Mash just does not get old. To finish the evening, we set up cones and a red carpet walkway for our costume-wearers to strut their stuff. Kids and college students showed off their best catwalks down the aisle, and the more in character they acted, the more candy paparazzi members tossed in their direction. All in all, the Fall Festival was filled with laughter, silliness, and love for our families and volunteers.
For many families, this was the first raiseRED event they have ever attended. We were overjoyed to see about 12 new shining faces on campus, and after connecting with parents and grandparents, we hope they feel eager to join us again. This event was unique not only because it was the first time many kids met the raiseRED family, but also because we introduced a few of the kids to their Cardinal Crew mentors. College mentors will essentially serve as a source of support and kindness throughout the coming year. Participating families are always so grateful to watch their kids light up when a college student chases them around the gym, but if you could see the look on the faces of our raiseRED volunteers at Fall Festival, you would learn that this program is just as, if not more, incredible for us.
We look forward to making many more memories like this in the coming months!
FTK,
Reagan Miller
Co-Family Relations Coordinator