Condit Elementary’s PTO individually contacted clubs and teams like the Belles, Girl’s Soccer, Volleyball and Vietnamese Student Association for help with its Fall Carnival Boo Bash on Oct. 28.

Junior Christine Dimacali represented the Lady Cards at the event.

“Volunteering while representing Bellaire Volleyball was so much fun and put out a good word for us,” Dimacali said. “A mom came up to me and asked me about Bellaire Volleyball for her daughter. It was so nice to encourage this mom to be a part of the future Bellaire Volleyball program.”

The morning shift group from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. helped decorate and set up the booths. Cardboard cutouts of ghosts and pumpkins, posters and colorful paper lined the fence of the park to welcome the students.

“I helped set up tables, balloons, shops and even posters,” Dimacali said. “Anywhere that needed assistance, I was there. It was such a great experience and I would totally do it again.”

The afternoon shift group from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. helped operate the games and activities like obstacle course, pumpkin bounce house and fundraising stands of snacks and toys. The group worked closely with the elementary kids to keep each area safe and organized.

“The one difficulty running the bounce house was kids who wouldn’t get off,” sophomore and member of Acts of Kindness club Ava Erickson said. “There were a few babies that Ellie and I needed to go inside the house and carry out.”

Senior and Belle Chloe Chang volunteered with her mom, who is part of the Condit PTO, and her brothers. Chang went to Condit Elementary and said it felt special to volunteer for a school where all her siblings go to or went to.

“It was nice to volunteer at my old school and get flashbacks to when I went there,” Chang said. “My mom loves to volunteer. I’ve helped at the spirit store for Condit many times and I enjoy it every time.”
The last shift group from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. was the breakdown and clean up crew who helped clean the park and take down the booths and decorations.

“The process of cleaning up after the Condit volunteering just entailed the parents assigning kids to pick up certain props, trash and moving miscellaneous items back to parents’ cars,” sophomore and VSA member Preston Lew said. “A struggle I had while cleaning was moving the hay bales because they had these thin straps that would hurt your hands.”

Sophomore and junior varsity Belle Mariah Clemons volunteered at the event for the full day. Clemons took the opportunity to join VSA to be up to date with future opportunities.
“It was a good experience and I like seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when they won the game,” Clemons said. “I really like volunteering. I think it’s really fun and a good way to bond with people and have new experiences. I am really excited to sign up for more volunteering in the future.”