The Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) will be hosting Kids' Day for children in the Medford, Somerville and Chinatown communities tomorrow, April 11. The event will be for kindergartners through third graders.
Kids' Day has been an annual event for 52 years, according to Co-Coordinator Adam Kronish, a senior. This year's theme is "Jumbo Makin' Waves," senior Tara Mount, a fellow co-coordinator, added.
Kids' Day is an all-day event that lasts from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Co-Coordinator Jason Rathman, a sophomore, said.
Approximately 350 children will be dropped off at Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus on Saturday for Kids' Day, according to Kronish. The kids are organized into groups of 10 and led by two student volunteers from Tufts, he added. Kronish also said that they are expecting more kids this year than last year, when fewer than 250 attended.
Many different groups on campus come together for this event, Kronish said. The Department of Chemistry will put on a show in Barnum Hall, and the student children's theater troupe Traveling Treasure Trunk will perform in the Paige Hall Terrace Room. In addition, many campus Greek organizations will help out with the activities planned for the day, he said. Activities will take place all around the Academic Quad.
“I think it’s important for the outside communities to come in and for us to have a day for them to show our appreciation,” Rathman said. “It really brings our campus together.”
During the event, the groups of kids will have four different rotations, he explained. At the end of the day, all of the groups will go to the Gantcher Center, where there will be a performance and a carnival for the kids.
The three co-coordinators worked with LCS to plan this year's Kids' Day
“It’s been something that I have been invested in since I came to Tufts,” Kronish said.
Mount explained that in organizing the event, the coordinators visited various elementary schools and handed out flyers to students who are eligible to participate. They also promoted the event to the Tufts faculty.
Kronish added that the coordinators also worked with the Office of Community Relations to publicize the event.
Kronish said that the planning committee for Kids' Day consists of 11 people. They organized the entire event, which included tasks such as setting up volunteers, recruiting groups for booth activities, organizing Greek life, publicizing the event and reaching out to organizations for performances.
Two buses are provided for the 50 kids coming from Chinatown on Saturday, Rathman explained.
Mount and Kronish added that they have made a lot of changes this year to improve the event's organization. They started planning for this year’s Kids' Day soon after last year’s Kids' Day ended.
“I am looking forward to it running smoothly,” Mount said.
Kids' Day to provide activities, performances for local children
Tufts student leaders and their groups enjoy a ride during Kid's Day outside Gantcher Gym on April 19th, 2014.
