Members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at LSU came together Saturday to help with the annual Boo at the Zoo, put on by BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo.
Students helped give out candy, regulate the lines for candy and monitor the playgrounds to make sure the children stayed safe, said Paula Henry, first vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
“It’s a safe way for children to come out and trick-or-treat,” Henry said. “They don’t have to go door-to-door.”
Alpha Phi Omega, Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta were among the organizations in the Council that came to help out Saturday, she said.
Henry, a University accounting senior, said the Council has volunteered for the event for the past several years. To participate, she said the Council contacts the zoo about two months in advance to request a spot to help with the candy.
One of the reasons the Council returns year after year is because the members enjoy working the event.
“It’s one of the funnest community service projects that we do,” she said. “It’s a way to interact with the children. It’s different than the typical build a house or food drive. It’s seasonal, and we just love to do it.”
The event is safe for children to come with parents and receive candy from a reliable source, Henry said.
Saturday was the first time accounting junior Shekaydra Green from Delta Sigma Theta volunteered for Boo at the Zoo. She said volunteering at the event was a good way to reach out and help the community.
“It’s really enjoyable because we don’t really get to do many things with kids,” Green said.
Some of the items they handed out included candy, bracelets and spinning tops, she said.
Chemical engineering senior Kristin Kendrick has worked Boo at the Zoo several times. She said she comes back to help because she loves seeing the kids.
“It’s a service project I really enjoy doing,” Kendrick said.
She said by doing this project, the National Pan-Hellenic Council bonds as a group, and the community is able to see that the Council cares for the children.
Signing up to help with the event is voluntary for students. Henry said if a student signs up, the Council holds them to it, but attendance is usually 100 percent.
For Henry, she said the best part of volunteering is seeing how happy the children are and their choice of costumes. Kendrick said her favorite part of helping was seeing the “big smile” when she handed candy to the kids visiting her table.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council volunteers for both Boo at the Zoo and Zippity Zoo Fest, which occurs in the spring, Henry said.
“We’re happy to do it every year,” she said.
