Winter 2019 EditionAlumni & Friends Magazine
Thank you for your service
The 7th Annual Honey for the Heart Giant Puppet Parade kicked off the Athens Halloween Block Party, featuring over 2,000 volunteers creating enchanting giant puppets. Patty Mitchell, founder of Passion Works Studio, aims to elevate the Halloween experience, fostering connection and belonging in Athens through this family-friendly event.
Jen Jones Donatelli, BSJ '98 | March 7, 2019
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Getting the Athens Halloween Block Party started last fall was the 7th Annual Honey for the Heart Giant Puppet Parade, a family-friendly event that takes over Court Street before the sun sets, featuring some can’t-miss creations like a giant honey-eating bear and super-sized bumblebees.
More than 2,000 volunteers collaborated to make these radically gorgeous giant puppets, an effort conceived and produced by Patty Mitchell, BFA ’87. Mitchell is the founder and executive director of Passion Works Studio, an Athens-based arts center that empowers artists with developmental differences.
Fantastic images are created then parade down Court Street for the 2018 annual Honey for the Heart parade in Athens, a family-friendly event that precedes the city’s annual Halloween Block Party. Photo courtesy of the Athens County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
“Our intention is to elevate the narrative and experience of Halloween [in Athens],” Mitchell says. “We hope to encourage connection, purpose, and belonging.”
Who are these volunteers? Ohio University students, community members, and artists. Mitchell noted an increase in both the number and interest level of volunteers, and she points to the studio’s growing relationship with OHIO’s Center for Campus and Community Engagement (CCCE), which acts as a bridge between students, staff, faculty, and community partners to further projects that matter. It’s where students can practice the act of civic good will.
As Director of the Center for Campus Community Engagement, Mary Nally helps connect students with opportunities to collaborate with myriad community organizations. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
“We’re here to help build connective tissue. It’s all about contributing to the development of students as future civic leaders,” says CCCE Director Mary Nally, BA ’99, MS ’10. “We want students to be more embedded in the community, which will inform their academic experience within the context of the greater world.”
One of the OHIO Strategic Pathways initiatives set by President M. Duane Nellis aims to “build a university engagement ecosystem” that will raise the economic standing and quality of life throughout Appalachia over time. The CCCE is key to meeting that goal, and as it grows, students will have more opportunities to get involved beyond the bricks.
According to Nally, “C course” classes offer students a way into this ecosystem. The classes teach skills in a specific area of study and require at least 20 hours of hands-on service learning. Currently 14 C courses are offered on campus and 240 faculty members are trained to teach them.
Isabelle Roberts took the C course “Media Production for the Community” in fall 2018. A media arts and studies student, Roberts helped to create a video featuring the action at the Athens Farmers Market and on Athens Beautification Day. Learning her craft while engaged with the community was a winning combination.
“It’s been an interesting opportunity to learn more about the community,” says Roberts, “and a great experience for what I want to do in the real world.”
Feature image: Executive director of Athens-based Passion Works, Patty Mitchell, BFA ’87, throws a knowing smile in anticipation for the Honey for the Heart parade to begin. Photo by Michael Johnson, BSVC ’19
