Festival packs the Plex

The Boston Marathon wasn't the only event providing entertainment over the weekend. A record number of participants and volunteers packed the Plex Saturday for the 25th annual Festival of Friendship, providing entertainment and festivities for special-needs students across the Boston area.

The festival, put on by Festival of Friendship Committee co-presidents Amber Clarke, CSOM '07; Erin Klewin, A&S '07; and Kimberly Macauley, A&S '07; paired Boston College volunteers with special-needs students who spent the day enjoying activities at the Plex ranging from dance groups to a cappella groups.

Each April, the festival adopts a unique them to provide the students with an unforgetable experience. The committee drew its record-breaking crowd from various schools in the Boston area, including the BC Campus School and Cardinal Christian.

The committee and the festival were formed to give special need students an opportunity to get out of their school environments and meet new people with similar backgrounds.

"It's a very rewarding experience to bring special needs students from the area together," said Clarke. "The Festival Committee is not a well-known organization on campus, so for us to be able to draw this crowd and provide this type of event is very rewarding."

Volunteers and organizers all agreed that the festival is a highlight for many of the students, providing an atmosphere where they can enjoy the company of other students without the constraints of daily life.

"I really enjoy working at this event because the kids are so happy. It's a fun day that the kids get out school," said Macauley. "I've never seen kids so happy than they are today."

"I wanted to give back to the kids in the area and this event was a great way to do it," said Klewin. "It's a great way to get these students together."

Besides drawing the largest student crowd the co-presidents had seen during their years involved, the committee was able to draw record numbers of student volunteers from the BC community. Unaffiliated with the committee, most of the BC students volunteered on their own, further highlighting BC's knack for community service.

"I was really surprised at how many volunteers showed up for the event and how many activities they had planned for the people coming in. It was really well organized and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves right from the beginning," said Meaghan Bradley, a BC volunteer and CSON '09. "My paired buddy loved the dance performances and singers and knew all the songs, especially the oldies that they were playing. She was there with a group of people that she knew and always got excited to see them around."

Sarah Grebowski, a member of the Residence Hall Association, another student volunteer, and A&S '09, also expressed her desire to give back to students of the community. "It was an opportunity for students to devote a few hours of their Saturday to make someone else's day better," said Grebowski. "The kids were incredibly friendly and their enthusiasm spread - everyone enjoyed each other's company. It really was one of the best days I've had in awhile." n