Spooking for a cause

On Friday, October 16, 2009 and Saturday, October 17, 2009, Seton Hill University (SHU) will host its eighth annual Night on Haunted Hill. The event is open to the general public and will run from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

By Cody Naylor

Staff Writer

On Friday, October 16, 2009 and Saturday, October 17, 2009, Seton Hill University (SHU) will host its eighth annual Night on Haunted Hill. The event is open to the general public and will run from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The event is described as a family-friendly haunted house fundraiser that benefits SHU’s Make-a-Wish club. Brittni Spillar, a sophomore, said that she had a great time at the event last year because “it was so cute to see all the little kids going through the haunted house and playing all the games that were set up.”

Aside from the main haunted house attraction, which is “done in an Indiana Jones theme this year,” Katie Lemmon said. Different organizations and clubs on campus also set up booths with different games in order to raise money for their own clubs. “There are also hay rides that Darren Achtzehn, Director of Food Services, is in charge of,” Lemmon added.

The Make-a-Wish club is a charity organization that raises money every year to fulfill the “wish” of a child in special needs. Once the club raises $3,500, they give that money to the national Make-a-Wish Foundation that then uses it to carry out its charitable mission.

According to Martha Balzano, past
events have been “very successful. Last year they held a banquet to celebrate how much money we raised.” Katie Lemon states that “there were somewhere around 120 kids at the event last year” and that people in the community “seem to be excited about it this year as well.” She is hopeful “that if the weather is good,” they will have “even more show up this year.”

Despite past successes, Holli Gonder, a junior and Make-a-Wish member, expressed a desire to see “more people come to support the event.” While many parents from the community do bring their children to tour the haunted house, Gonder wishes that more SHU students would attend.

Gonder also expressed what a “good cause” the club raises the money for and thinks that “everyone should be a part of it.” Balzano made it clear that being a member of Make-a-Wish is an exciting experience because “it’s a worldwide organization that raises money for an amazing cause.”

If students are interested in joining SHU’s Make-a-Wish club, they can contact the club’s advisor, Kathy Fajt, or speak with any member of the club for more information.