On Oct. 14, members of Off the Hook put on Virginia Wesleyan’s very first Unity Block Party to celebrate its diverse neighborhood of clubs, teams, departments and schools. All organizations were welcomed to join together to eat a wide variety of foods, listen to live music and paint individual mailbox canvases in representation of their organization’s cause.
“We were actually really pleased with the way that the Unity Block Party turned out,” Sarah Guzzo, director of Student Activities, said. “We had between 150 to 200 people there, so it was awesome.”
The party was organized in order to provide all of the organizations here at VWU with the opportunity to share what their involvement in the campus community means to them and the campus as a whole.
Around 25 clubs attended, a few of which included Marlins Go Green, Caribbean Student Association, Phenomenal Women and Sigma Sigma Sigma.
Each organization was provided with a blank canvas with an outline of a mailbox, to decorate in representation of their club’s purpose. Students were encouraged to get creative with their designs, so that their canvases would really depict the many aspects of their organizations.
The finished canvases are on display in the Jane P. Batten Student Center to exhibit and honor the diverse array of organizations held here at VWU. A written version of each organization’s statement will be displayed alongside the canvases as well.
While students were decorating their canvases and socializing with friends, they were also presented with a wide range of international foods to snack on.
“We had Asian inspired food, Latin inspired food and Soul food, which were all gone in a flash,” Guzzo said.
To go along with this, organizations were also asked to submit a song that they felt reflected their involvement. As a result, the party’s music playlist included a diverse combination of songs to add to the atmosphere. The Matty Taylor Trio, a student-established band, played live Jazz Blues music as well, which proved to be a big hit and kept students around after finishing their canvases.
If your organization was unable to make it to this year’s party, stop by the Office of Student Activities to pick up a blank canvas to decorate and hang on the wall along with those decorated by the many of the other clubs here at VWU.
Following the huge success of Virginia Wesleyan’s first Unity Block Party, members of Off the Hook plan to keep this new tradition alive. Each year, a new canvas will be introduced and displayed in the Batten Student Center.
By: Carey Seay
clseay@vwu.edu
