Photo by Pauline Park
The annual Coloring for a Cause Late Night event, hosted by the Disney Club and the Tri Sigma sorority sisters, was a night to support children in need while enjoying treasured childhood favorites. Kid-friendly foodstuffs were served at the Trustees Pavilion and coloring pages featuring beloved Disney characters were offered to students. When asked about what she enjoyed most about the event, Tri Sigma sister Renee DeLora said, "It's really nice to just relax and color while helping out a great cause." There were a multitude of Ramapo College students who felt compelled to support Give Kids the World, donating $1 for a small coloring page or $3 for a large page, in order to provide for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Junior Kelly Mullaney commented that she enjoyed the event because of "all the fun food" available during Late Night at the Trustees Pavilion. There were fun and kid-friendly fare such as dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, "smiley fries", hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and elbow macaroni served with meatballs. Sophomore Lauren Brown joked that "everybody came here for the chicken nuggets tonight," as she made her way through the buffet line. First-year Ramapo student Olivia Vallon agreed that she also came to Coloring for a Cause to devour the dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets served at the Pavilion. In fact, there were plenty of chicken nuggets and other fan favorites to go around for ravenous Ramapo College students.
Although college life can be stressful, many students welcomed the opportunity to relieve their frustrations through coloring pictures and supporting a worthy cause. Sophomore Kelly Nichirco came to the event because she enjoyed "Tri Sig's coloring;” that is, donating $1 for a coloring page of “The Lion King’s” Mufasa and Simba and enjoying the company of her volleyball teammate and other close friends. Nichirco's friends partook in the fun as well, with one coloring in a picture of Dumbo, the titular character of the 1941 Disney film. Nichirco and company were clearly not alone in relaxing and taking a break from the stresses of the fall semester – senior Max Fu commented that he enjoyed "just chilling and relaxing before the end of the semester."
As Ramapo College students dined on kid-friendly favorites and colored characters from iconic Disney films, there were good vibes throughout the Pavilion; friends from across campus found themselves in good fellowship. Senior Billy James said that the people he was with were the highlight of his evening, while junior Dawn Wilkenfeld agreed with James. "Being here with my friends" was important, according to Wilkenfeld, who is often seen at events hosted by the College Programming Board.
After filling up on the beloved dinosaur nuggets, many students lined up for ice cream sundaes for a "sweet" ending to the night. It was indeed "sweet" that students came out to support a worthy cause by rediscovering childhood favorites and supporting children through Kids Save the World.
jconciat@ramapo.edu
