With hands bathed in creamy vanilla frosting, 6-year-old Rowdy Rios was intent on building a gingerbread house — sticky fingers and all.
“This is so much fun,” said his big sibling, Denali Weiler, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, as she frosted another graham cracker and handed it to Rios.
Rios and Weiler were just two of more than 100 people gathered at The Shed on Saturday for the Siblings Program annual holiday party.
Gold and silver tinsel sparkled in the normally dingy Shed, and decorative snowmen transformed the sporting complex into a holiday wonderland.
Children laughed, screamed and sang naughty versions of classic holiday songs while basketball and kickball games were played all around them. The BU students and their Boston-area siblings also had the opportunity to partake in ornament crafting, a science project and rock climbing.
Around them, other pairs perfected their gingerbread creations, decorating them with holiday M’Ms and gumdrops.
CAS freshman Cheryl Horney said her little sister, like many of the other participants, filled The Shed with energy.
“She’s all over the place,” Horney said. “She’s so excited because all her friends are here.”
Donning Powerpuff Girls overalls and a glittered face, 8-year-old Joceline Gonzalez worked with her big sister Cristina Martorell, a freshman in the College of General Studies.
“It’s something special that’s made just for them,” she said. “They see their friends and meet everyone else’s older siblings. [The program] is a fun experience for both of us.”
Program Manager Sean Pelkey, who sported a Santa Claus hat, echoed Martorell’s sentiments.
“It’s just a lot of fun to have everyone together,” he said. “A lot of times it’s difficult if [the big siblings] have to spend $10 to go see a movie or $15 to go to the aquarium. This is a free event that they can attend.”
The generosity of many volunteers and Boston University groups helped to make the event possible, Pelkey said, noting the particular involvement of the Catholic Center and the Student Village Residence Hall Association, which sponsored the gingerbread house-making event.
CAS junior Sara DeRitter attended the party with other members of the Wizards, a community service group that does weekly hands-on experiments in nearby elementary schools. The party’s demonstration of how green slime is made was well received by the children.
“Science is more than the books they’re reading. We strive to bring abstract thoughts to their fingertips,” DeRitter said.
Members of Project 100, the community service branch of the Student Union, were on hand to serve lunch, which was donated by area businesses.
Siblings pairs BU volunteers with students from the Garfield and Winship Elementary Schools in Brighton for weekly outings, including monthly group events such as the holiday party.
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