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RPTA STUDENTS CONTINUE LEGACY OF SERVICE THROUGH PROGRAM PLANNING

By Laurel Thomson (RPTA '15), Staff Writer

In Dr. Marni Goldenberg’s RPTA 210 class, students study the process required to design successful programs, and even get the chance to plan and implement their own program or event. This past winter quarter, RPTA 210 students had the opportunity to plan events such as Lovefest, a benefit concert for Restorative Partners, Up Till Dawn, and even a surf contest in Morro Bay (among other programs).

Lovefest was an event put on by the Gender Equity Center at Cal Poly to celebrate their 2nd year in existence, the uprising against violence in relationships, and Valentine’s Day. Lovefest started out in the University Union where there were booths, Cal Poly bands performing, and even a flash mob! It then moved to the Alumni House, where actors from the Vagina Monologues read poetry while guests ate food catered by campus. The students themselves were responsible for contacting the bands and booths, organizing the flash mob and the raffle at the Alumni House, and purchasing decorations.

At Up Til’ Dawn, sponsored by St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, participants collaborated from 7:00-10:00 p.m. putting together letters asking for donations to go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The RPTA 210 students were responsible for working alongside the executive board to help plan the event and secure funding, which they did through Cal Poly ASI and the Pan-Hellenic Council.

Restorative Partners is a nonprofit with a mission to "mobilize and coordinate programs which create positive changes and promote a restorative justice approach to crime in San Luis Obispo County." RPTA students (pictured above with RPTA alumna Erin McNulty [second from left], Americorps Volunteer Coordinator for Restorative Partners) worked with Restorative Partners to hold a benefit concert and raise awareness and funds for their cause.

Lastly, Project Surf Camp, an organization that teaches children with disabilities to surf, sponsored a surf contest in Morro Bay that RPTA 210 students were responsible for planning. The contest was a fundraiser for Project Surf Camp, and was open to anyone who could surf and wanted to compete for awesome prizes. The students recruited professional surfing judges, gathered the prizes, and designed the t-shirt given to all the participants.

Overall, Dr. Goldenberg’s RPTA 210 students put an enormous amount of hard work into planning their events, and in return, gained invaluable firsthand experience in designing programs true to the Learn by Doing message.

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