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The annual Faculty/Staff Picnic, which will take place this year on Wednesday, June 18, has become one of the largest Smith community events of the year with more than a thousand participants gathering on campus for food, fun and fellowship. As usual, the event will feature an array of foods grilled fresh on the premises, and a lineup of action equipment for kids of all ages, including two bounce houses, a Fenway fastball pitch game and a 14-foot inflatable slide. Also, a DJ will keep the music playing and face- and nail-painters will offer their artistic input.
The picnic will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the upper athletic field on the lawn inside the running track (if it rains, the picnic will be held at the Indoor Track and Tennis Facility).
Along with opportunities to eat, have fun and socialize with fellow employees and their families, the annual picnic also offers a chance to contribute to a worthy cause. Each year, an aspect of the picnic is a fundraising campaign to raise money for a local charitable organization. The beneficiary designated for the 2003 picnic is , a small agency that provides traditional and special needs adoption services, post-adoption support and home visiting services for young parents. Specifically, CAFS programs work to place abused and neglected children in permanent, loving adoptive homes; assist first-time teen parents in adapting to their new roles; help families by providing support and friendship; and follow through with support and assistance of recent adoptive parents.
As in the past during the picnic, a donation table will be stationed on the field where passersby can contribute to a collection jar for CAFS. Or, if preferred, donations can be made before the picnic by enclosing them in the ticket request to the Office of College Relations.
As an added incentive to stop by and make a donation, door prizes, such as shopping gift certificates for downtown Northampton, will be awarded.
Past recipients of Faculty/Staff Picnic fundraising have included the American Cancer Society, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Hospice and Cancer Connection.
This June 18, keep in mind, as you’re winding up for your best fast pitch or munching grilled chicken, that the annual Faculty/Staff Picnic is not only an opportunity to have a good time; it’s also a chance to do good for a local charitable organization, and in this case, to provide vital assistance for children and families who most need it.
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