WOW event warms night with tie blankets

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s weekly What’s On Wednesday events run by each residence hall allows students to connect with one another through various events the Community Advisors plan. 

This week, the WOW will be facilitated by MSU’s National Residence Hall Honorary and Residence Hall Association on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Each WOW will be a tie-blanket making event. After the event, all blankets will be donated to a handful of local charities.

Both National Residence Hall Honorary and Residence Hall Association gear their focus towards recognizing and serving the community. NRHH focuses on the Mankato community as a whole while RHA focuses on bettering residence halls.

“NRHH is an organization that focuses on service, recognition, and leadership,” said the organization’s president Caitlyn Loya. “We hold monthly service events to give back to the community, and write things called Mav Awards and OTMs to recognize people on campus.”

For this event, residents are encouraged to go to their dorm lobby at 7 p.m. while Stadium Heights residents can attend their community room at 8 p.m. Students are encouraged to make as many blankets as they can to be donated. All blanket-making supplies will be provided, NRHH and RHA just need help putting them together.

“Making tie blankets focuses on the service part of NRHH. It gives students the opportunity to give back to their community,” said NRHH VP of Service Naomi Swanson.

Loya pointed out the importance of getting MSU students involved with the Mankato community, as it will make them feel more connected with the city.

“By having this WOW we are able to get more students involved in giving back to the community,” said Loya. “We will also be able to spread more information about NRHH and RHA to get students involved in different organizations on campus.”

The blankets from this event will be given to a few different charities throughout the local areas that focus on a variety of issues. 

“Some of the tie blankets will be given to the Committee Against Domestic Abuse, while others will be dispersed to organizations focusing on low-income families,” said Swanson. “We chose to donate the blankets to these organizations because they are both non-profit and local, so we know we are directly supporting our community.”

There will be NRHH members at every residence community to help facilitate the event, along with being able to answer questions that residents may have about joining either of the organizations.

Funding for this event has been provided by NRHH, RHA and each residence hall to make this event the best that it can be. Being present and participating is an easy way to provide a helping hand to people in need within the Mankato community. Bring friends as teamwork is encouraged to make the most blankets possible. 

For those interested, NRHH meets every Thursday evening at 9 p.m. in Preska 126. RHA meets Monday afternoons at 4 p.m. in Preska 126.