Chapter Spotlight – Gamma Epsilon (Lake Forest College)

This week’s Chapter Spotlight is Gamma Epsilon (Lake Forest). To celebrate Frances E. Willard Day of Service, sisters spent the day teaching young girls the importance of staying heart healthy, while learning how to engage participants through a variety of activities. Vice President of Campus Affairs, Sofi Espino, and Alpha Phi Foundation Marketing Intern, Cassidy Hutton, tell us more.  

Event Name: National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Location: Lake Forest College Sports and Recreation Center

How many times have you held this event?
3

Tell us a bit about the event:
National Girls and Women in Sports Day was created to teach girls from our local YMCA Boys and Girls Club how to lead healthier lifestyles through exercise and a balanced diet. The event began with the girls and members partaking in Zumba. Afterward, participants spent 15 minutes at various stations where Alpha Phi’s taught young women positive ways to stay heart healthy through activity and nutrition. 50 girls ranging from first to sixth grade were in attendance this year, which is more than in years past.

What was your favorite part about the event compared to past years?
This year we decided to teach a song at one of the stations. The lyrics focused on eating healthy and being active to keep their hearts strong. This got them engaged and involved. It was fun listening to the girls sing the song as they left that day.

How did you plan this event?
The event took about two months to plan. We wanted to ensure that the older girls were still interested in the topics we were trying to teach. The younger girls are a bit easier to keep entertained. We knew we were working with a wide range of age groups, and decided to incorporate a song along with posters to keep everyone’s attention. We also incorporated a cheerleading station to get girls excited to learn about leading heart healthy lifestyles. There are a lot of athletes in our chapter who really enjoy participating in this event each year.

What are some tips you would give to chapters looking to host a similar event?
I would encourage chapters to get creative and incorporate different activities at each location. Girls really enjoyed stations that included healthy snack options, food pyramids and activities that can be done with friends. We also taught them the importance of staying mentally and emotionally strong through body image and small activities that can be done in their free time like crunches during television commercials. Members made posters for each station to keep the girls engaged and ended each segment with a summary of the values we were teaching.