If you’re like me, being a teenager at Halloween was pretty upsetting. Yes, I could still dress up, but I had become just too old to be a cute, little trick-or-treater. Having cute younger sisters didn’t help much either, especially when they came home with buckets full of candy.
Rather than sitting at home and handing out lollipops, I decided to get involved with a canned food drive at my school called Halloween 4 Hunger. I loved to be able to still wear a rockin’ costume and go house to house. I suddenly saw the potential for Halloween to be about more than just free candy and continued to volunteer for the cause throughout the rest of my high school years. In my final year, grade 12, we collected over 60,000 lbs. of canned goods!
I was delighted to find out that Brock also has several clubs that turn Halloween into an opportunity to make a difference in the community.
This year Brock is hosting its third annual Halloween 5k Fun Run to raise money for the university’s Annual United Way campaign. Participants not only dress up and run 5k for a good cause, but they also warm up with some Zumba. They also have the option to continue to Zumba instead of run.
Even though my days of trick-or-treating are long over, I am glad to be able to find meaning in the holiday and continue to enjoy it. I’m proud to be part of a university that gives back to the community and I look forward to Halloween!
