Event InfoDESCRIPTION:Zombie-themed family-friendly fun-walk (5K course with no completion times tracked or race awards.) Walk followed by a dance/block party where opportunities to win costume and raffle drawing prizes will be available. Food and drink also offered. "Zombification Station" on hand for those in need of makeup/costume help.
PURPOSE:Raise awareness of local hunger and poverty issues and collect nonperishable food donations for the Rio Helping Hands Food Pantry. Event is also a fundraiser for the Friends of the Davis Library organization.
COST:$5 per person/walker + a nonperishable food item donation (or an added cash donation toward the charity food drive is also acceptable if unable to bring food item )
SCHEDULE:2:30 PM Event Setup (Sponsor/Volunteer Report)
7 PM - ? Post-Apocalypse Party (Random Dancing, Raffle Drawing & Costume Awards)
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Event Location |
University of Rio Grande & Rio Grande Community College
218 N. College Avenue, P.O. Box 500 Rio Grande, OH 45674 The Friends of the Davis Library's Zombie-Thon 5K Walk & Food Charity Drive will start and finish on the Outdoor Basketball Court near Rhodes Student Center on the Rio Grande Main Campus. The course route will extend down Bevo Francis Way, past the Stanley L. Evans Athletic & Recreation Field, onto Bob Evans Farms property and back. You may download and print a map of the 5K Course Route Map below. Also, see our Rules/Regulations section for turn-by-turn description of the trail as well. |
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Creating Awareness: Hunger & Poverty in the Ohio Appalachian Region
The Friends of the Davis Library’s Zombie-Thon 5K Walk & Charity Food Drive is a new family-friendly event for all-ages. Participants are encouraged to “be ghoul” and do their best “zombie-shuffle” on a multi-terrain route that extends through the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College’s Main Campus and onto Bob Evans Farms’ property and back.
The main focus of the event is raise awareness on community wellness issues that impact the quality of life in the Ohio Appalachian region. The Friends’ walk-a-thon is designed to give people a fun way to get outside and become more physically active. Walking is considered to be one of best forms of exercise and adding more strides to your daily routine is one of the easiest means toward better health.
As the popularity of zombie films, television series, books, and graphic novels has risen in recent years, so has the number of zombie-themed community events. Yes, “zombie fever” has struck in southeastern Ohio and the Friends of the Davis Library are utilizing the “viral” nature of these fictional creatures to help attack a problem that has “infected” our local community.
Hunger and poverty are a harsh reality in the Ohio Appalachian region. This problem has “monstrous” implications for everyone, not only those individuals or families living on low incomes or facing inconsistent access to nutritious foods. For example, increases in substance-abuse, crime rates, and unrest between social classes can result from income inequality.
Children experiencing these conditions are especially vulnerable to a number of negative physical and mental health challenges that often create barriers to acquiring the education needed for upward socioeconomic mobility to break the poverty cycle.
Nontraditional college students (25+ year-olds), which have become the new norm on many campuses, frequently find themselves going hungry as class and family responsibilities tend to limit their ability to work full-time. While financial aid assistance may be available, the monies awarded are often barely enough to cover tuition, textbook, and other school-related costs. Consequently, student-centered food pantries have become more common. The Rio Helping Hands Food Pantry at the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College is just one example of this trend.
For more details on hunger and poverty issues and how they affect those living and learning in Ohio and the Ohio Appalachian region, visit our reference links below.
References:
The main focus of the event is raise awareness on community wellness issues that impact the quality of life in the Ohio Appalachian region. The Friends’ walk-a-thon is designed to give people a fun way to get outside and become more physically active. Walking is considered to be one of best forms of exercise and adding more strides to your daily routine is one of the easiest means toward better health.
As the popularity of zombie films, television series, books, and graphic novels has risen in recent years, so has the number of zombie-themed community events. Yes, “zombie fever” has struck in southeastern Ohio and the Friends of the Davis Library are utilizing the “viral” nature of these fictional creatures to help attack a problem that has “infected” our local community.
Hunger and poverty are a harsh reality in the Ohio Appalachian region. This problem has “monstrous” implications for everyone, not only those individuals or families living on low incomes or facing inconsistent access to nutritious foods. For example, increases in substance-abuse, crime rates, and unrest between social classes can result from income inequality.
Children experiencing these conditions are especially vulnerable to a number of negative physical and mental health challenges that often create barriers to acquiring the education needed for upward socioeconomic mobility to break the poverty cycle.
Nontraditional college students (25+ year-olds), which have become the new norm on many campuses, frequently find themselves going hungry as class and family responsibilities tend to limit their ability to work full-time. While financial aid assistance may be available, the monies awarded are often barely enough to cover tuition, textbook, and other school-related costs. Consequently, student-centered food pantries have become more common. The Rio Helping Hands Food Pantry at the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College is just one example of this trend.
For more details on hunger and poverty issues and how they affect those living and learning in Ohio and the Ohio Appalachian region, visit our reference links below.
References:
- Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio. (2016). Ohio’s Appalachian children at a crossroads: A roadmap for action. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from http://www.cdfohio.org/research-library/2016/OH-appalachian-children-crossroads.pdf
- Farkas, K. & cleveland.com. (2016, October 5). Many college students go hungry, report says. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/10/many_college_students_go_hungr.html
- Lift Up Vikes! & Cleveland State University. (n.d.). Hunger and homelessness in college. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from http://www.csuohio.edu/liftupvikes/hunger-and-homelessness-in-college
- Ohio Development Services Agency. (2016, February). The Ohio poverty report. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from https://development.ohio.gov/files/research/P7005.pdf
- Voices for Ohio’s Children & Ohio Association of Foodbanks. (2014, July). Tackling child hunger in Ohio: What’s working and how can we improve? Retrieved October 7, 2016, from http://raiseyourvoiceforkids.org/Media/Documents/Policy%20Briefs/Hunger_Co-Brief.V2.pdf
Bringing "New Life" to Davis Library: How "Friends" Make a Difference
In addition to raising awareness of hunger and poverty issues in the Ohio Appalachian region, the Friends of the Davis Library’s Zombie-Thon 5K Walk & Charity Food Drive is also aimed at bringing “new life” to Davis Library.
"What do we mean by that?"
Essentially, we’re talking about the Friends of the Davis Library’s support of programming and outreach activities for both library and university. In addition to providing quality collections and services, Davis Library also offers opportunities for social and cultural growth and enlightenment. Such informal learning experiences are important not only to the campus community, but the larger community as well.
Davis Library and the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College have a deep commitment to public service. We value education and see it as a necessary means of improving the quality of life for everyone our region.
The support our Friends group provides enables us to reach beyond our library walls and the bounds of campus. By organizing and sponsoring a variety of community-centered activities and events, Friends help bring people together to interact and share ideas with one another.
This type of social engagement helps reduce stereotypes and biases that sometimes occur between neighbors and different generations. As a result, communities may be strengthened and better prepared to handle the various problems they face. The overall wellness of a community may be enhanced and given “new life.”
Click here to learn more about how you can "Join Your Friends @ Davis Library!"
"What do we mean by that?"
Essentially, we’re talking about the Friends of the Davis Library’s support of programming and outreach activities for both library and university. In addition to providing quality collections and services, Davis Library also offers opportunities for social and cultural growth and enlightenment. Such informal learning experiences are important not only to the campus community, but the larger community as well.
Davis Library and the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College have a deep commitment to public service. We value education and see it as a necessary means of improving the quality of life for everyone our region.
The support our Friends group provides enables us to reach beyond our library walls and the bounds of campus. By organizing and sponsoring a variety of community-centered activities and events, Friends help bring people together to interact and share ideas with one another.
This type of social engagement helps reduce stereotypes and biases that sometimes occur between neighbors and different generations. As a result, communities may be strengthened and better prepared to handle the various problems they face. The overall wellness of a community may be enhanced and given “new life.”
Click here to learn more about how you can "Join Your Friends @ Davis Library!"