By Chelsea Platt '13
Saints were traded in for spooks during the eighth annual Halloween Extravaganza event, sponsored by the Office of Academic Community Engagement’s Bonner Service Leaders program.
The arts and crafts festival has become one of Siena’s holiday traditions as it combines a Franciscan love for community service with a scary good time. The five dollar admission charge gave children access to more than 30 activities and games, raffles, the community partner health fair and a haunted house sure to make even the bravest of souls scream.
The proceeds from the event were donated to a local non-profit. This year the Halloween Extravaganza committee was able to donate $1,400 to the Father Peter Young Housing, Industries and Treatment Center. This organization assists formerly incarcerated populations to rehabilitate themselves back into society as responsible, autonomous citizens.
“My favorite part of the event is seeing the Siena community and friends come together to support one of our community partners,” said Yalitza Negron ’06, assistant director of Academic Community Engagement and the AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellows program.
Negron founded the Halloween Extravaganza event eight years ago, during her sophomore year at Siena. This year, she was joined by more than 400 volunteers and 30 campus clubs that helped run activities and transform the Sarazen Student Union into a spooky setting.
350 children disguised as princesses, ghosts and superheroes ran around with their candy and prizes.
“I won a lot of goldfish from one of the games and I couldn’t take them all home. So I kept two and gave the other ones to these girls that looked sad because they didn’t have any,” said Naya Ewan, a fourth grader in the Albany school district.
Next year’s Halloween Extravaganza is scheduled for October 26, 2013.
