USD Students, Staff Support Bayside Center’s Fall Festival
University of San Diego students and staff and members of the San Diego NROTC will participate in a free Fall Festival event today at Linda Vista’s Bayside Community Center.
The festival, which runs from 4-7 p.m., serves as a “safe alternative” for more than 300 youth and their families to enjoy game booths as well as activities such as face-painting, trick-or-treating and a costume contest, said USD’s Center for Awareness, Service and Action Program Director Brenna Hughes.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to work with all of the organizations who are participating in it,” said Lindsey Brown, a direct service graduate assistant in the CASA office. “This event gives us more accessibility to the people in our community.”
Brown, a graduate student in the clinical mental health counseling program in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, said as many as 10 student organizations will be represented at festival booths and another 30-40 volunteers will serve in a variety of roles.
“It’s a traditional event and so many people know about it,” she said. “Before I sent out information on it, groups on campus were already coming to us and wanting to know how they could volunteer. There’s definitely a lot of excitement about it.”
The festival, hosted this year by USD, Harbor Church and Bayside Community Center, has been held at USD in recent years. Chris Nayve, associate director for USD’s Center for Community Service-Learning, said the event has been a staple on campus dating back as far as 1994. He said university office spaces and residence halls on campus were transformed into a place for costumed children to have a safe place to trick or treat. “It’s always been a great time and a chance for USD to open its doors to the Linda Vista community,” Nayve said.
Switching the event to Bayside Community Center, where USD maintains a strong community service connection year-round, offers students and staff the chance to establish a meaningful connection with the Linda Vista community.
“The students at USD have a desire to get involved,” Brown said. “There are so many amazing events available for them to experience. To see their level of interest is impressive. I’ve been really excited to see this event come together.”
— Ryan T. Blystone