October came around the corner. And naturally, that prompted a multitude of things: People using any excuse to wear a jacket despite the Midwestern-ness of autumn and the weather still being in summer mode, controversially listening to Christmas music, and don’t you dare forget the mass amounts of people scavenging to their local coffee shop to ask for a pumpkin spice latte. (Or anything pumpkin related, that is.) Regardless of these cliche traditions we as a society have curated over the years, fall is undoubtedly a special time of year. Filled with autumn chill, dim lights, and indulgent foods; it’s a time to rest. And for many, it’s a time to give back (just because.) As that element of mystery and Halloween seeps through the air, so do more seasonal events. Students in the Thespians club have the opportunity each year to incorporate one of the most favored holidays by contributing to a good cause.
“…Trick-Or-Treat So Kids Can Eat (TOTSKE) it’s our community project where we will go house to house and deliver bags to collect canned goods for the Manhattan bread basket,” senior Ayana Jones said. On September 29th, members of the Thespians club dropped off bags; then on October 6th went to collect everything.
“We collected a pretty good and solid amount of things,” Ayana Jones said. “A lot of cans, and a lot of people participated and donated things. So I really appreciated that.” To get even more into the mood, associates of the club wore their Halloween costumes while doing this kind act of service.
“We all dress up in…whatever costumes that we…have. I did my Incredibles costumes…so it was pretty interesting.” said Jones. Humans always and will always have an innate selfish desire to please themselves and only themselves. Especially with the holiday season, we can easily be influenced by big sales and tend to think less about others in our lives.
“I should make my Christmas list, what do I want?” one might ask themself. It’s important to remember and give thanks to the people who have had a significant helping hand in shaping who you are today. It’s beneficial to make a habit of being selfless and giving a fraction of your time to help someone else. Whether that time spent helping is just a minute or even a few hours, little or big, it can mean a lot to someone nonetheless. Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go, while giving back to those who need it the most.
