Thursday evening Heritage Commons was the setting of a Community Service Fair hosted by Sagepoint Residence Hall.
Representatives from the Bennion Community Service Center, the student organ donor association, Operation Smile, Amnesty International, ARUP blood services and Compassionate Care Group were there to try to get students involved in service.
The Bennion Center was there in partnership with Crossroads to promote the Homelessness Alternative Weekend, which is scheduled to take place Nov. 1 and 2.
Participants can expect to pay $5 cash for a night’s stay at a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City. The weekend promises a service project, a speaker, and “lots of walking.” Anne Looser can be contacted about the weekend at 671-9751.
A new student group, The Compassionate Care Group, also tried to persuade students to sign up for “Clown Classes.” Once the members of the group know how to make balloon animals, put on clown make-up and juggle, they will visit hospitals to cheer up the patients.
Markham McReynolds, founder of the club, got the idea from the movie “Patch Adams.” McReynolds says he feels that health care workers are discouraged to establish relationships with patients, and that there is a lot of distrust between patients and doctors. He says that The Compassionate Care Group will help to promote joy and humor in health-care settings. Students can get involved by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Claudia Fritz, assistant residence life coordinator for Sagepoint, organized the fair to “do something” for the community. “I was caught up with academics for four years, and lost sight of the issues and problems out there. This is to help people to be more civically minded,” Fritz said.
Also scheduled by Sagepoint was a pizza party held just outside Heritage Commons, which might have detracted from attendance at the Community Service fair.
A couple of students said that they did not hear about the fair, but that they heard about the pizza party.