Students of Saint Louis University partnered with their community Friday to hold a Halloween Bash in hopes of giving children from underprivileged neighborhoods a safe space to enjoy the spooky holiday.
The Halloween Bash was led by APO, a co-ed service fraternity on SLU’s campus and was meticulously planned by the Executive Vice President, Sabrina Bruozas. “I started planning at the end of August and got my committee together by September. It took about two and a half months to plan the event,” Bruozas said.
The event consisted of a Halloween party held in the Busch Student Center and a Trick O’ Treat event in the Griesedieck Tower, a residence hall on campus.
At the party, APO partnered with different on-campus organizations such as Chemistry Club, where kids were able to make slime, and KSLU, the campus radio station, whose DJ spun music.
Meanwhile, at the Griesedieck Tower every floor was decorated for the occasion. Multiple rooms on each floor had candy to give out. Trick or treaters ran through each floor, knocking on doors collecting bags filled with candy. One girl walked onto the twelfth floor saying, “Wow, this is beautiful.”
The event was held for the entire Saint Louis community; however, Sabrina said that the central idea of the Halloween Bash is to provide a safe environment for kids who would not have the same experience if they were to celebrate at home. The kids also had great exposure to the college lifestyle by being on campus and interacting with the students.
APO contacted different organizations such as public schools, college prep programs, little leagues, and before and after school programs all within the Saint Louis community. Hundreds of kids and their families showed up to the event.
Bruozas emphasized the importance of an event like the Halloween Bash. “It gets not only kids out of the bad neighborhoods, it makes the kids and parents proud that they can do something themselves,” she said. She recalled a parent who said that something small like letting their kids choose what kind of candy they want makes all the difference. It’s important for kids to make their own choices, especially when they’re at home and are being held to strict rules and specific mannerisms to keep them from getting hurt.
Lizzie Kelley, a resident of the Gresiedick Tower, said “Trick O’ Treating with the kids was so much fun. It was great to see the kids dressed up and excited, but it was so fun to see how excited the parents were. One mom live streamed the entire event on Facebook!”
Overall, the event was a success. Bruozas said, “This was the best Halloween Bash that we have held in years.”
The Halloween Bash is now an annual tradition, and has become an event in the chapter’s bylaw. It becomes the responsibility of each Executive Vice President to plan and contact the organizations that they would like to partner with. It’s a long process to plan an event for the entire community, but it stands as a bridge between Saint Louis University and the Saint Louis community.
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