PRCC donates food, celebrates Halloween | Community Spirit

The following is a press release from Pearl River Community College:

Students, faculty and staff at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County Center celebrated Halloween with Fall Fest Wednesday, Oct. 31, and the center’s traditional food drive for the Salvation Army.

The center donated 6,339 items of non-perishable food, with the medical radiologic technology program winning first place for collecting 3,897 items.

“We thank you so much for this opportunity,” said Katie Tate, director of development, in accepting the donation for the Salvation Army.

The 2011 food drive netted 2,880 items, said Dr. Joe Wesley, who coordinates the annual drive.

“I was afraid this year would be smaller, but it’s much larger,” he said. Placing second was the medical laboratory technology program and third, business and office systems technology.

Fall Fest also included a Walk A Mile in Her Shoes rally to raise awareness about domestic violence. Male students and faculty walked a few yards and danced in high heels as part of the event, which raised about $400 for the Shafer Crisis Center.

Other Forrest County Center fund-raising events this semester have resulted in $750 for the American Heart Association and approximately $4,500 for Alzheimer’s research. The PRCC team placed second in both the most walkers and the most money raised during the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Oct. 6.

Other Fall Fest events included:

• Costume contest won by Tran Diep of Biloxi, best overall; Nicky Romero of Carriere, scariest; and Mikka Knowles of Saucier, cutest.
• Program t-shirt design - Practical nursing, first; dental hygiene, second; respiratory care, third.
• Door decoration - Certified nursing assistant program, first; math for elementary teachers class, second; respiratory care, third. The math faculty was recognized for the most creative door.
• Sigma Kappa Delta vocabulary contest - Math instructor Doug Donohue, first; Chase William of Hattiesburg, second; and Melissa Stewart of Hattiesburg, third.

A number of programs and organizations sold baked goods or raffle tickets to raise money, including the History and Humanities Club. The group sold water balloons for $1 each and used a trebuchet or catapult built by Alex Chambliss of Brooklyn to water bomb math instructors.