NDNU Students Help Tenderloin Kids Celebrate Halloween

Volunteers from Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) and students from the university’s Streetwise Sociology class will participate in the 15th Annual Halloween in the Tenderloin Festival, which creates a safe place for children in the Tenderloin to celebrate the holiday.

The event will be held this Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at the Tenderloin Children's Playground.

In addition to the students, the Boys and Girls Club, the San Francisco Police Department, Hilton Hotels, and local residents will participate in the event.

Activities include a jump house, face painting, pumpkin carving and more.

Maps will be handed out indicating safe homes and businesses where the children can trick or treat on Halloween night. The buildings will also be marked by posters or balloons. Volunteers, guests, children and anyone else in attendance are encouraged to dress in costume.

Dr. Don Stannard-Friel, a professor of sociology and antropology at NDNU, and his Streetwise Sociology class of fifteen have planned for the event since September.

The class is designed to give students the opportunity to understand those who are less fortunate and the urban social problems they face. The goal of the class is to, “learn the issues of the inner city” and “engage with the community,” said Dr. Stannard-Friel. “We want to help others feel safe.” The event gives students the power and feeling of being able to make a difference. The students, along with volunteers, will help run the activities and play with the kids.

The Tenderloin Children’s Playground is located at 570 Ellis St. in San Francisco. For more information, contact Dr. Stannard-Friel, at 650-508-3770 or don@ndnu.edu.

Related Topics: Halloween 2011