Student Talks About Volunteering at Character Breakfast
By Rachel Williams | Observer Contributor
Photo by Nicole Wetherby
Being part of the Character Breakfast fulfilled my childhood dream of dressing up and playing the part of Ariel, The Little Mermaid.
The Character Breakfast is a fundraiser for the Alpha Beta Gamma Honor Society, with some volunteers from the Phi Thet Kappa Honor Society, and is an annual event.
I have been in love with Disney ever since I was little. As a young girl, my dreams were to play The Little Mermaid in Disney World and, even though that will not happen in my real life, I was able to do so at the Character Breakfast.
After noticing flyers for the event, I was excited to learn that I could volunteer to help. I had never done anything like it but thought it would be a fun, new experience. I had done theater in high school and knew that dressing up as a character was right up my alley.
When I first got to the event, I helped the other volunteers and coordinators set up the South Café as a character world. Tables were decorated with lollipops, balloons, and blow-up animals, like elephants, penguins, and chickens. There were sections of the room with backgrounds that represented stories, such as Alice In Wonderland, Disney princesses, a pirate ship, superheroes, and the Wizard of Oz.
There were also three tables in the front with raffle prizes that ranged from Easter baskets to full-size bicycles for children. There was a projector playing Disney songs and other festive children’s music and videos.
My costume consisted of a purple corset with gems and fabric that created a look for seashells and a tight long green skirt with two fins on the end to create the tail. Since I already have red hair, I did not need to wear the wig. The costume was beautiful and perfectly created to resemble Ariel.
Seeing all the little kids run straight over to me yelling “It’s Ariel!” was such an exciting moment. Not only did I get to take pictures with just about every child at the event, I got to interact with them too.
One boy had me follow him around to get his face painted and play different games, like throwing a bean bag through a hole. At one point, I ran a game with the kids that involved throwing rings around pegs. After seeing how excited they were and how hard they were trying to win, I let them get a prize because it wasn’t about winning, it was about playing and having fun.
The event was creative and fun for all involved. The food was delicious and everyone in the room seemed to have smiles on their faces. To me, this was a great fundraiser because it brought people together to laugh and smile.
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