Angel Fest details
When: 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 11
Where: Boys and Girls Club of Muncie
Ball State's Student Action Team, a Housing and Residence Life organization, will host their annual "Angel Fest" event on Dec. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. for more than 150 local Muncie children at the Boys and Girls Club.
The event will bring a Christmas celebration to the children who participate, with several types of crafts, games and inflatables.
Jenna Van Dyke, a junior elementary and special education major, serves as the current president of SAT and was involved in the planning for Angel Fest. She said participating in this event was an extremely rewarding experience.
Though SAT is a housing organization, Van Dyke said she encourages all students to participate and volunteer as an "angel buddy," regardless of where they live. She lives off-campus herself.
"The angel buddy's role is to basically take an interest in the kids," Van Dyke said. "They love having college students take an interest in them."
As an angel buddy, students will attend the event and spend time with their assigned child or children. They can visit different booths that are managed by other Ball State organizations.
The National Society of Leadership and Success, The Panhellenic Council and The National Residence Hall Honorary are among some of the additional organizations that help SAT host Angel Fest. These organizations will each have something different for the kids and their student volunteers to do.
"They're all doing different holiday crafts," Van Dyke said. "Making foam snowmen, face painting, ornament decorating … it's all a huge help to us."
There are currently about 65 students signed up to be an angel buddy this year, and SAT is expecting there to be about 70 by the time Angel Fest begins, Van Dyke said.
One of this year's angel buddies, Lauren Underwood, has been involved with SAT since her freshman year at BSU and served as last year's president of the organization. She said this event is important because it affects the lives the children.
"It's kind of a really big deal for the kids," the senior elementary education major said. "They don't get to celebrate the holidays at home necessarily. But SAT really puts on a big party for them. It makes the kids so happy."
An angel buddy can simply be a friend and even a mentor for a child, even if it's just for the two hours, Underwood said. The kids remember the experience and keep it with them.
And as much as this event affects the children, Underwood said it can affect the Ball State volunteers just as much. Students can form relationships with the kids even with the little time they have together.
"Seeing ball state students building a relationship with the Muncie community… it's awesome," Underwood said. "Overall it's just a really awesome and rewarding experience."
SAT president Van Dyke said that some student volunteers even continue to work for The Boys and Girls Club after their first time working with Angel Fest because they enjoyed the experience so much and because of how rewarding it can be.
"People just find out that they love it," Van Dyke said. "And they want to do even more for the Muncie community and the kids."
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