South Side children enjoy a real Spring Fling

Spring Fling, organized by Emily Aagaard ’04, a political science major, brought together the Lehigh community to help create an activity fair for the children of the South Side on April 5.
The event kicked off with an egg hunt in the morning and continued on until mid-afternoon. Children enjoyed a chilly yet fun day creating crafts and art projects, as well as getting a visit from the Easter Bunny.
By inviting children from kindergarten to the fifth grade from all area elementary schools, we hope to bring as many children as possible into the center of Lehigh’s campus, Aagaard says. Lehigh students not only have an opportunity to serve the youth of the community, but to also begin a relationship that will be a part of the children’s lives as they grow into adults.
While the activity fair exceeded its goals for the children, it also helped a larger goal for the University. It is crucial that Lehigh students seek a way to bridge the gap between Lehigh and its neighbors and create not only a working relationship, but a friendship, says Aagaard. With Spring Fling, I hope that the children will have an opportunity to connect with a college student and their surroundings, not as an unfamiliar place of stone buildings, but as one of their favorite destinations for fun each spring.
This year’s event, with more than 80 Lehigh volunteers, received additional support from area businesses. Goosey Gander, Just Born Inc., Wegmans, Wal-mart, Giant, and Weis provided food, candy and craft supplies.
--Y. Sarah Suh
yss2@lehigh.edu