Best Buddies teams up with fraternity for Halloween party
Best Buddies and the Sigma Nu fraternity teamed-up to host the second annual Best Buddies Halloween party Thursday.
The party was a way to involve Utah State University students with Best Buddies.
The Sigma Nu house was decorated for the occasion, said Brock Anderson, Best Buddies director and a senior studying marketing, and the event was held in the basement of the house.
Students dressed in Halloween costumes participated in events with the buddies throughout the evening.
Activities included painting pumpkins, fishing, a sawdust pool full of candy and a cupcake walk in which the participants were able to custom decorate each cupcake, Ryan Kelly, a senior majoring in finance economics, said.
The buddies also went trick-or-treating at other sorority and fraternity houses.
“Everybody has fun. The best part about it is seeing the people enjoy themselves,” Amir Malek, a senior majoring in civil engineering, said.
The fraternity hosted the Halloween party last year, Andrew Dilley, president of Sigma Nu, said.
The fraternity tries to give back to the community and participate in service projects, Dilley said.
“We’ve had a lot of experiences for these types of events,” Malek said.
Best Buddies is a service organization that pairs USU student volunteers with people who have disabilities, Anderson said.
“[Best Buddies] gives each of us a chance to learn from each other,” he said. “They’re normal people, they just have disabilities.”
Anderson said he encourages students to meet people with disabilities to help rid the stereotypes and “see how many abilities they have.”
Best Buddies plans one activity each month to provide something fun for the members, said Cherie Jensen, a Best Buddies member and a freshman studying nursing.
Activities such as the Halloween party allow the buddies to socialize with people in the real world and have friends, said Sarah Tison, a senior majoring in sociology and the Best Buddies activity coordinator.
“It just lets Best Buddies get a view of college life, to just get out and have fun,” Sheridan Anderson, a senior studying exercise science, said.
Best Buddies is always looking for volunteers, Anderson said, but often times there are not enough buddies.
Currently there are 40 buddy pairs and more volunteers are a part of the organization as well, Brock said.
Next semester will offer more opportunities and students can find more information about the program at the Val R. Christensen Service Center on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center, he said.
More information about the service center can be found on the USU Web site at http://servicecenter.usu.edu.
Sigma Nu also participates in a Sub-for-Santa drive which goes door-to-door to ask for donations, Malek said.
Other services the fraternity volunteers for include the Special Olympics and volunteering at an elementary school, Dilley said.
-amysueh@cc.usu.edu