For its 4th annual Flourish Fest, the University of Rhode Island transformed the Quad with elaborate arrays of booths and tables lining the streets, along with food trucks, games and eager students.
The celebration combines health, wellness, community spirit and fun to form a club fair, according to the website for the Office of Student Involvement. Hosted by URI Campus Recreation, the festival offers wellness resources that will socially, emotionally and physically enrich students’ lives.
“I had so much fun,” student Sophia Cicerone said. “I learned so much from the booths and the food was good.”
Smells of local iced coffee, popcorn and other treats spread all over the campus, including food from the College of Business Block Party, the Dunkin’ truck and a booth from URI Dining Services.
Further down the quad was the Flourish Fest table, where volunteers handed out this year’s limited edition t-shirts. This year’s design is of a cartoon record player, which was voted on and announced by an Instagram post in July, according to @uricampusrec.
Those who partook in the raffle were handed lanyards with cards containing several empty boxes, according to campus recreation. The objective was to go to each booth and have someone at the table sign a box. Once each box was filled, students could turn in their card to enter into the raffle.
Winners received a campus recreation prize bundle, including a branded tote bag, towel, Bluetooth speaker, frisbee and beanie. TLC Coffee Roasters also sponsored a bundle featuring a sweatshirt, t-shirt, gift card, mug and candy.
“[The raffle] added an extra layer of fun that encouraged students to stay engaged throughout the event,” according to Haley Ludvigsen, the assistant director of marketing and outreach for campus recreation and the coordinator of Flourish Fest.
The event also included a bouncy house obstacle course, inflatable soccer and tie-dye booths, which were all a big hit according to first-year student Dash Binguette.
“I’m so glad the school included games, I keep coming back here between classes,” Binguette said.
Ludvigsen appreciated the students and faculty who dedicated their time to promote their clubs.
“Organizations sent student representatives to [their] table[s], giving them the opportunity to build leadership skills, represent their organizations and engage directly with peers,” Ludvigsen said.
Participating clubs included dining services, the Counseling Center, the URI Police Department, club sports and the Center for Leadership Development.
The URI Eating Concerns Advisory participated in Flourish Fest to let people know their resource exists, Kathryn Luzinski, president of URIECA, said.
By shedding light on the sensitive topic of body image and eating concerns, the booth gave a whole group of people a space and community to “promote body positivity, ” said Luzinski.
The diversity of organizations at Flourish Fest was a “great way” to let first-year students know what URI is all about, according to Anna Songolo, a first-year student on the URI Fencing Club.
Flourish Fest was a huge success, Ludvigsen said. With diverse opportunities and resources available to all students, Ludvigsen said the festival fosters a sense of belonging and campus engagement.
