Students in the event management class of the School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management (HSTM) are organizing two events as part of their course assignments this semester to gain experience in their field of study.
One event is the HSTM Awards Banquet for faculty and students. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 29, at 7 p.m. Tickets are being sold for $10 on the third floor of the stadium towers until April 24.
The other event is the Children’s Funfest, which is set to take place on Thursday, April 20, at Troy Parks and Recreation Sportsplex, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
“It’s like a spring fling field day for the kids in the Troy Pike County area,” said Erika Quinn, a junior hospitality management major from Clay.
The event will have four zones with varying activities. There will be a fitness zone, an athlete zone, a fun zone and a snack zone. Games, prizes, bouncy houses and snacks are just a few things they have planned.
The children will get to learn about healthy choices with food, given that childhood obesity is on rise. We have different tables and stations set up from ones related to dental care to understanding what a pound of fat looks like.
“There will be just fun interactive things, goody bags and things for them to take as prizes. It’s kind of educational as well where they’ll learn as they go through the stations and play the games,” said Quinn.
Troy University softball and baseball players will be signing autographs. They will also play with and interact with the children.
“The members from the Troy baseball team will be out there to give hitting and throwing tips to the children,” said Madison Price junior sports management major from Billingsley. “And, on top of everything, the event is completely free.”
The students of the HSTM program are organizing the event as a gesture of giving back to the community.
“What we like to do is do something for the community, recognizing that Troy University is incorporated within to the city and is not isolated,” said Lynsey Madison, assistant professor of health and human services.
Madison views it as an opportunity for the community to connect with the students and the university along with the fact that the event requires the students to make use of the skills they learned in their theory classes of event management.
“We are getting our students off the campus and pushing them to do something for the community that they live in for three or four years,” Madison continued. “It’s a chance to educate our students and the community as well.”
The Children’s Funfest will be funded by sponsorships collected from local sources like dentists’ offices and will be a non-profit event. There will be no entry fee charged.
“We time it with baseball so that there are kids already out there sitting out for their big brother to finish playing, and they’ll just have to come around and have fun while they are already there,” said Madison.
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