The Honors College Assembly partnered with Tuscaloosa’s One Place and the Volunteer Reception Center to sponsor the All For One fall festival and tornado cleanup this Sunday.
The festival will be held in Jaycee Park in Alberta City, and cleanup will be in the surrounding area.
“The Honors College Assembly wants to bring student volunteers from UA to help out these families that Tuscaloosa’s One Place has reached out to,” said Emily Broman, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering and psychology.
Several students from the Honors College had worked with Tuscaloosa’s One Place and Volunteer Reception Center during the aftermath of the tornado and wanted to continue helping.
Broman said the Honors College Assembly was contacted by the Volunteer Reception Center to participate in the annual fall festival to make it a larger event.
“There has been a real sense of collaboration among the community entities,” Broman said. “We have a variety of resources to use to make an impact.”
This is the first year of student involvement, and volunteers can participate in either the festival activities or debris cleanup.
“Tuscaloosa is a home away from home, and we are very connected to the city and local schools,” said Sarah Hughes, a junior majoring in political science and president of Honors College Assembly. “We want to use our resources to give back to the community.”
The fall festival will be held from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will have a variety of Halloween carnival activities and booths put on by student and community groups.
Activities will include a costume contest supported by the Lambda Sigma Honor Society, Trick-or-Treat bag decorating by the Community Service Center, a cupcake walk by Human Environmental Science students, face painting by Somerville Hall resident advisors, a bean bag toss by Trinity United Methodist Church, a temporary tattoo station by Phi Mu sorority and pumpkin decorating by the Honors College Assembly.
“I am really excited to see the kids interact with the students,” Hughes said. “We don’t get to play with kids often, and we just want them to have fun.”
In addition to the booths, there will be free food, music, hayrides and a fire truck. Tuscaloosa’s One Place invited families from Alberta City to attend the festival as a way to reach out to those still struggling with the effects of the storm.
Tuscaloosa’s One Place is a nonprofit family resource center offering services and aid to underprivileged families in the Tuscaloosa area.
“We want students to come volunteer for the families affected by the tornado,” Hughes said. “This event allows the families to come out and take their mind off of it. The festival gives them something to do and not worry about anything.”
For those interested in volunteer relief work, a group will meet at the park at noon to conduct a quick training session before starting cleanup. Suggested attire includes jeans, closed-toe shoes and T-shirts.
“I look forward to interacting with people and hearing their stories six months after the storm,” Hughes said. “We can see what their needs are so we can continue to help out.”
