Prism and Volunteer Services host serendipitous joint event on Break Day

This semester has been peppered with break days. While their helpfulness can be debated, it is clear that a lot of students have fun on these brief breaks from their classes. As part of a “Stay at Hope” initiative on break days, many clubs and organizations host events to entice students to stay on campus. On March 25, this abundance of break days led to a happy surprise for Prism and Volunteer Services. Their events took place side by side in the Great Room of Bultman Student Center. The Anchor spoke with Miguel Castelan-Hernandez (’23) and Bex (’22), Treasurer and Historian of Prism, respectively, and Nadia Amicarelli (’23) and Erin Vokal (’23), members of Volunteer Services, to hear about the events.

Prism’s Break Day Knot Spot was at 2 p.m. on March 25. They were serving fresh pretzels from Knot Spot. When asked why they chose to serve pretzels, Castelan-Hernandez answered, “Pretzels are good, first of all, and it’s a break day. We wanted to have something that students can enjoy, and we thought ‘pretzels.’” Bex added, “We thought pretzels would be a good event to draw a lot of people out to.” The event was also well-attended, which is great for a club like Prism, which is only in its second year on Hope’s campus. Castelan-Hernandez added, “We’ve had a lot of people, and we’re having a lot of fun!” Bex said they enjoyed handing out pretzels to attendees and that they even had a few rushes.

Across the room, Volunteer Services was busy making Easter cards for the residents of Freedom Village. Amicarelli explained why she wanted to do the event: “I work at Freedom Village, and I know some of the residents there are struggling with COVID right now and they can’t leave during the Easter season, so I thought it would be a good idea to make cards.” Vokal echoed those sentiments, stating, “I worked in an assisted living home this summer, and just seeing how trapped they are because they can only see their families through a window, we wanted to make something to brighten their day. Especially with Easter coming up and that reminds them of not being with their family, we wanted to bring some joy.” 

Because their events were held in such close proximity, students were able to grab a pretzel and sit and make a card. It also had the bonus of adding to each group’s event attendance. Vokal explained, “Being here with Prism is bringing some extra traffic to both of our events. It was an unexpected surprise, a happy one!” Amicarelli added, “We’re having a great time together!”

If students want to learn anything about these groups, they can be reached at their emails, prism@hope.edu and volunteers@hope.edu, as well as their Instagrams, @hopecollegeprism and @hope_volunteers.