On Saturday, Oct.28, Pathfinder Village celebrated Halloween with its annual Community Trick or Treat event. The event kicked off with the help from some Hamilton students. The celebration included a haunted house on the Village Commons and trick or treating for residents, local families, and staff.
Sixteen Hamilton students volunteered at the event, some of whom had visited the village previously and some who had traveled there earlier this summer during their XA trips. All volunteers were dressed up for the event in various costumes. Upon arrival, volunteers helped by painting faces for residents’ costumes.
Pathfinder Village is a residential community for individuals with Down Syndrome and Autism. Pathfinder is also a Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach, and Charity (HAVOC) site. The mission of the Pathfinder Village is to “promote a healthy, progressive environment that respects the individual, supporting a life of value and independence.”
The Community Trick or Treat event is a great opportunity for Hamilton students to engage and interact with the Pathfinder Community. According to Madeline Bologa, one of two HAVOC coordinators for the site, “All of the volunteers left Pathfinder with either a special connection or a memory with a resident that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Hamilton students stationed themselves at different stops along the trick or treating trail and the Village Commons where volunteers had installed a Haunted House. Volunteers also helped residents “scare” individuals coming through the Haunted House. “The volunteers outside aided in providing directions to the neighborhood children and families who, either before or after visiting the on campus houses for trick-or-treating, entered the haunted house” stated Bologa.
Residents at Pathfinder range from 20 years old to nearly 60 years old. “They have a great relationship with their community at large as shown through the popularity of their weekly farmer’s market, where many of the community members come to shop, and their Halloween haunted house hosted for children,” stated Aaron Oh ’18, who volunteered at the Pathfinder Village this past weekend.
The homes located on the Residential Square within the Pathfinder Village passed out candy to children and their families participating in the event. “Of the volunteers, five were students who spent their freshman orientation trip at Pathfinder and could not wait to return to see their friends and make new memories. Also, seven of the volunteers were from the Men and Women’s ice hockey teams,” stated Bologa.
The Pathfinder Village helps its residents discover their own values and talents, gain independence, and cultivate meaningful friendships. As an internationally recognized institution, the Pathfinder Village is an open-access neighborhood, which contributes to the development of a sense of a community. Volunteering at Pathfinder has been a rewarding experience for all involved. “ All of the volunteers, if asked, would relay to you the same message: that Pathfinder is an incredibly eye-opening place, and that given the chance they would return, and urge others to sign up for other events,” said Bologa.
