Happy Halloween! On this spookiest day of the year, the Harward Center draws your attention to how scarily good our Community Liaisons from Bates clubs, sport teams, and first year centers have been at getting their groups to do amazing community-engaged work! 

Spooktacular on and off the field!

Many of our sports teams have stepped up their game this fall through a variety of community-engaged efforts. Just last weekend, for example, the Cross Country teams rallied 60 Bobcats to work with Lewiston Public Works on a variety of city projects including painting fire hydrants, clearing overgrown shrubs in the Riverside Cemetery, and helping the SHARE center move out of their current building. The weekend before that, the Swim and Dive Team continued their tradition of participating in the City of Lewiston’s Litter Pick Up. In addition to these and other team-specific efforts, all athletic hands were on deck in September for the 2022 ‘Cats Carnival, back by popular demand after a two-year COVID hiatus. The festivities welcomed kids from across the community for games, concessions, and other fun during a home football game. 

Looking ahead, several sports teams have ambitious plans for future community-engaged work, including the Nordic Ski Team, which is planning a weekly “learn to Nordic ski” clinic at the PAL Center in Auburn; the Men’s Basketball Team, where players will volunteer weekly in the Playground PALs program at a local elementary school; and Field Hockey, Women’s Soccer, and Men’s Lacrosse–all collaborating with Tree Street Youth to host weekly sport and mentorship sessions at the Center in downtown Lewiston. Men’s Lacrosse has even dedicated themselves to having each player complete one hour of community engagement a week–a lofty goal we are excited to see the team accomplish!

Join the club!

Not to be outdone, Bates clubs have also been participating in some amazing projects! This kicked off early in the fall with four a cappella groups (Crosstones, Merimanders, TakeNote, and ManOps) entertaining the Taste the Harvest crowd downtown, singing rousing melodies for those enjoying delicious local cuisine at various stations along Lisbon Street. As the Crosstones told us after their show, “we are excited to continue this performance as an annual staple in our fall semester plans, and are always open to more gigs like it to connect with the LA community.” Also in the downtown, Run Club gathered 20 of its members to help out with and participate in the St. Mary’s Commit to Get Fit 5K and Harvest Walk. The runners were all smiles as they blazed through the 5K course or volunteered to help manage the oatmeal station, attend the parking lots, or serve as marshals for the course. 

Clubs have also been greatly involved with our local elementary schools. A testament to this can be found at the afterschool program at Montello Elementary School. In collaboration with the teachers, four Bates clubs (Bollywood Dance, Chess Club, Garden Club, and Robinson Players) are running versions of their clubs as an afterschool program, allowing Batesies to share their passions and talents with the next generation. Similarly, 2BEATs, Circus Club, and the Robinson Players have all taken the show on the road, performing at the Farwell Pumpkin Festival to an adoring crowd of youth. We are excited to see how clubs will continue this momentum through the rest of the academic year!

Raising the roof!

Also getting in on the action have been Junior Advisors from Residence Life, who have gotten their first year students engaged with the L-A area, showing them the wonderful opportunities available to them in their new hometown! The highlight of these efforts thus far was the Farwell Pumpkin Festival, where three First Year Centers helped run the carnival games and the bake sale table. The future looks bright also, with many JAs planning fun engagement activities for their first years, such as making brunch for the residents of Blake Street Towers.

Keep up the good work, Bobcats!