Committee Engagement Over Winter Break
By Hanna Bernett
It’s easy to feel disconnected from school and THON during winter break…especially this year. Despite the post-holiday slump, you might be experiencing, there are still plenty of fun ways to stay involved in THON over break.
In the next few weeks, one specific goal for your committee could be to reach out more to your paired PennPal family. This article will explore some virtual/ socially distant activities for your committee to engage in with your PennPal family.
Zoom! As overused as zoom can be in daily life, its popularity can be attributed to its user-friendly format and variety of fun features. This makes it perfect for family-friendly virtual game nights, scavenger hunts, or trivia. Check out this article with eleven different ideas for Zoom activities.
Introduce yourself as a committee! Depending on the age of the children in the family, it could be fun to create a slideshow, scrapbook, or trading cards that feature each member of the committee. You could include pictures, fun facts, silly stories…anything that would help the family get a better idea of who each committee member is! A physical scrapbook or trading cards pack could be assembled by each committee member creating their own page/card and mailing it to a designated committee member, who would then assemble all entries and send it to the family (assuming that the family is comfortable providing a mailing address). This could be a great keepsake for our PennPal families!
Send cards! If the family is comfortable providing their address, send cards to them as a committee! Even though the season for holiday cards is over, it’s never a bad time to spread some cheer in the form of greeting cards. Families always appreciate knowing that your committee is thinking of them.
Make Kids’ Mail! Any committee can create and submit Kids’ Mail, even without a paired PennPal. Try using Canva, Google Drawings, Adobe, or any other drawing app to make fun greeting cards that any child would be delighted to receive. For example, illustrate a silly pun like a strawberry saying “I think you’re BERRY awesome!”. Creativity can really shine in these cards, just make sure not to use any specific names of kids, any specific mention of illness (such as “Get Well Soon”), and keep it FTK! Send any completed Kids’ Mail to fr.dr.liaison@THON.org .
Most importantly, remember that even when we are not on campus, you and your committee still have the potential to make a lasting and meaningful impact. Keep up the momentum, and we can’t wait to see you at THON Weekend 2021!