KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — With spooky season in full swing, Truman State University’s fraternity group Beta Theta Pi hosted a Trunk or Treat for Halloween. The event not only benefited young kids, but they also used it as a way to give back to those in need.
“Bring any canned good and nonperishable item you have and vote for your best trunk,” said Beta Theta Pi President Eli Fogarty. “All of these donations are going to the Pantry for Adair County and the best trunk will get a taco dinner provided by us. So please come support these different organizations that have worked really hard to make some amazing trunks and also help an organization that does so much good for this community.”
The group wanted to make sure everyone that attended had a night filled with fun, but also leave a lasting impact on those who stopped by.
“I hope we really create a bond with the community so we can put on more events,” External Relations Chair of Beta Theta Pi Harrison Weindel said. “We have a lot of resources, and we want to help the community. So, I hope the community sees that we’re putting on a wonderful event and that they want to continue coming to our events when we put them on in the future.”
“We will have a ton of candy to give out to kids today,” Philanthropy Chair of Beta Theta Pi Carter Whitlow said. “We will have about twenty cars out there, an ambulance, a couple cop cars it should be a really good time.”
Even though they are no longer children knocking on doors for Halloween, each member of the fraternity takes it as a blessing to now be the adults giving candy to kids instead.
“It’s about the bests feeling that can be,” Carter said. “Giving joy back to kids it’s like exactly what everyone hopes to do at some point is to give someone else that childhood enjoyment that they had.”
“Its just an awesome feeling to like what we experienced as kids,” Weindel added. “I want to give that to the future generations and stuff like that. I like being a part in that and kind of helping them fall in love with Halloween and being that fun energetic presence whose giving them candy and stuff like that. So, its really awesome.”
“It feels good. I mean I see the light and happiness that it brought me when I was a kid, and its always cool to see costumes that I used to wear as a kid now that kids are wearing them,” Fogarty said. “Its kind of a surreal moment but I’m super happy that this organization and I have a part in making a huge impact of something they’re hopefully going to remember for the rest of their lives.”
