Women for Harding held its third annual Princess & Superhero Party last Saturday, Jan. 31 in the Heritage Auditorium from 9-11:30 a.m., charging $10 for children and $5 for adults to come enjoy the morning and help fund student scholarships.
The event included snacks, crafts and games all centered around the main attraction: 18 Harding students dressed up as different princess and superhero characters.
Junior Anna Winchester has played Cinderella the past two years and said that the amazement the children have with the characters has the ability to make anyone feel special.
“All of the kids think it is the real deal,” Winchester said. “Before I would sign their little autograph books girls would say, ‘Are you the real Cinderella?’ and I would say ‘Of course I am.'”
Other characters included Belle, Snow White, Spiderman and Batman. The event also added Elsa and Anna from Frozen to this year’s cast, which Liz Howell, one of the coordinators for the event, said was an exciting treat following the craze that started when the movie released last winter.
However, all of the characters have a special place in the heart of the children who attended the event. Howell said that every year many of the attendees will wear the costumes of their favorite characters, making time with that princess or superhero particularly special for them.
“You smile so much while you are there,” Howell said. “You will see a little Snow White or Cinderella interacting with that person or a little boy getting to interact with Spiderman, Superman or Batman. We just have so many fun games and our characters really take it seriously.”
An important part of the event is that each student working the event is a Women of Harding scholarship recipient. Senior Chelsea Bradley has played Belle for the past two years and said that it makes the event more meaningful knowing that people who are attending the event directly fund her and her fellow students. She also said it says something important about the scholarship recipients themselves.
“It portrays that we are not just kids getting money and not being grateful for the people who pay to come to these events and the women who donate on an annual basis,” Bradley said. “We are putting in the time and having fun with it too. I hope that it would portray that we are willing to say thanks and to work for the funds that we are given.”
Howell said it was not only an event that portrayed the character of Harding students, but was also a chance for Women of Harding to engage and give back to the community.
“It is a gift to the community from Harding and our corporate sponsors,” Howell said “Many children will not have the opportunity to go to Florida or California and we bring an experience to them that is magical.”
