A crowd of children ran into the field toward the moonwalk, which had an attached slide and a dalmatian head at the top of the roof. With balloons in their hands, they dodged two clowns that roamed Norris University Center’s east lawn.
Community service group OASIS helped student groups find their inner child by bringing more than a hundred area youngsters to the Northwestern campus as a part of its annual Spring Carnival Thursday afternoon.
Various student groups got involved in the carnival by holding different activities for the children. Some activities included decorating cookies, playing hockey, hand and face painting and reading stories. Blue, yellow and green pieces of paper covered another table as children learned how to make origami shapes.
Communication freshman James D’Angelo, the events co-chair for OASIS, said the group bused in the children from after-school programs in the area. D’Angelo dressed in a clown suit and had his face painted for the occasion. He said the organization brought the children to campus to help them have fun.
“We volunteer at most of these places, so it’s good to have them come here,” he said. “I hope it helps them relax and start spring off right.”
D’Angelo said the carnival was a part of Outreach Days, which encourage NU student to get involved with the community.
“We hope student groups get a feel for volunteering and see how fun it is to play with little kids – I’m biased, of course,” he said.
D’Angelo said the weather was relatively good despite the cold.
“It’s rained for the past two years, so it’s pretty good weather,” he said.
Judith Boniface, 10, said she enjoyed coming to the carnival.
“I loved the hockey game, beating people at hockey and the balloon toss,” Boniface said. “But best of all, I like eating candy. I got the Big Crunch, and I’m going to get another one.”
As she ran to the station to get more candy, she gave her candy to Barbara Wahler, a social worker at Jordan Academy in Rogers Park. Wahler said the carnival helped break the monotony of the school day for the children.
“A part of it is just getting the kids out,” she said. “It’s good to get them to even look at a college campus and interact with people who they don’t always see. Of course, they always love the food.”
Wahler also said she was impressed with the layout of the carnival.
“It’s outside so they can run around,” she said. “But it’s enclosed so they can’t go wandering off.”
Weinberg freshman Monica Tang participated in the carnival as the philanthropy chair of Ayers College of Commerce and Industry said the carnival helped bring out her inner child. The group helped children make stress balls by pouring flour into balloons.
“The kids got excited about making the balls, and that was cool,” she said. “And I’ve never made these before, but it was really fun.”
Reach Ketul Patel at [email protected].
