“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that have received — only what you have given.” The words of St. Francis of Assisi echo through the hearts of the Viterbo community. As the snow begins to collect beneath our feet, the students and faculty remain focused on their mission of warming hearts and souls through exemplary service and care. Viterbo University’s Education Club reflects this spirit in their mission statement: “To inspire and educate those to inspire and educate others.” They know their legacy will live on through the work they do to improve the lives of others, and this year they are doing it once more with their annual Halloween tradition, Safe Trick or Treat Night.
Every Halloween, the Education Club partners with the local Boys and Girls Club to ensure that every child can safely participate in the spooky holiday’s festivities. For over a decade, the Education Club has carried through with this initiative and, according to club co-president Kambrie Prochazka, nothing will get in their way of making it happen. “We were not going to let COVID-19 take away this amazing celebration,” Prochazka shared, declaring that the happiness of the community’s kids far outweighed any potential challenges that the pandemic brought with it. The Education Club knew that their usual way of doing things would not be safe, so they were forced to put their usual Safe Trick or Treating event on wheels. The club will take to the streets with Halloween goodie bags, delivering candy to the children of six different southern La Crosse elementary schools. Prochazka shared, “This has been our main focus so far, and as challenging as it has been, we know it will be worth it.”
While this event is the Education Club’s focus every October, it is far from their only priority throughout the academic year. According to Prochazka, the club’s 40 members have a strong relationship with the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater La Crosse Area. Club members frequently volunteer to help provide a safe, enjoyable, and uplifting learning experience for the area’s kids. “I am learning communication skills while also learning how to plan events during a pandemic,” Prochazka shared, adding, “I will take this knowledge with me forever and wherever I go.”
Prochazka emphasized that while the club is very beneficial in providing experiences for students leaning towards becoming teachers, its doors are open for anyone to join. Prochazka shared, “We adapt the meetings to meet your needs, whether that be a night where we vent to each other about school work, or we have a jam session to some music to disappear from the world around us for a bit.”
The Education Club is also excited to implement a new professional development aspect into their regular schedule. This entails the club picking a topic, such as “technology in the classroom,” and encouraging all the members to research it, preparing themselves for their future careers as educators. “It is so much fun to see what is going on in the world of education,” Prochazka exclaimed.
The club’s meetings are electric, buzzing from the pure positivity emitted by its group of educators and servant leaders. The entire group is fervent about building themselves to be effective members of their community, and they all realize that they can start before they even graduate. Prochazka encourages everyone in the community to reach out to the local Boys and Girls Club for volunteering positions, emphasizing the pure delight one receives from helping those in need. As the Education Club and its affiliates work on spreading the collective joy of service, they etch themselves even further into the legacy of the world they serve.
