Univ. of Leth. Play Day grows every year
The University of Lethbridge opened up their First Choice Savings activities area for children and families to take part in a wide range of activities for free at the eighth annual Family Day Play Day.
Throughout Monday afternoon, between 3,000 and 4,000 people took to the university to get out of the house and do some activities together as a family. Every year the event grows more popular as families see the benefits of all the free activities.
“We are hosting the eighth annual Play Day, this is a free event that we host every year on Family Day for families across southern Alberta to come out for a variety of free activities,” says Kali McKay, events and protocol officer for the University of Advancement. “We have everything from arts and crafts to science and technology, to our famous fort building zone, we also have carnival games, physical activities, our climbing wall, swimming pool and it is all free for anyone that comes today.”
The University of Lethbridge likes to support the community that continues to support everything that they do, and enjoys putting on the Play Day event to bring families back into the institution and enjoy the wide range of fun and exciting activities they can provide.
“If families haven’t been to this event before, they can expect a busy day with lots of energy and people and hopefully lots of fun. It is meant to bring families together so we do encourage moms and dads and caregivers and grandparents to come and get playing with their kids,” says McKay.
“My favourite part is the fort building zone, because it starts as nothing, it’s literally piles of cardboard, duct tape and craft supplies and by the end of the day, the whole south gym is taken over and it is made up of a bunch of little structures and it becomes a real community fort area and that’s wonderful.”
The Play Day wouldn’t have been made possible without the support of the over 150 volunteers who helped put together and run all of the activities. Staff, students, Pronghorn athletes, alumni and community volunteers come together to give families a good option to spend their holiday Monday. The event also wouldn’t have been possible without the sponsorship of North and Company Law.
“We were presented with the opportunity to sponsor and I have come for the past few years because I have kids and it has always been super fun and there is always tons of people who come here and so our firm has been very closely connected to the university for years through various events and this just seemed like a new and fun way to get involved,” says Kerry Gellrich, Partner of North and Company Law. “Family Day is a good tradition to spend time with your family and your friends, also when it is cold like this it is good to get out and do something fun.”
From building cardboard forts, to playing a game of basketball or jumping on the inflatable obstacle course, generations of families spent time together to build new memories and have a fun day out of the cold weather. The University of Lethbridge hosts a variety of activities and classes for families throughout the year. For more information visit uleth.ca.
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