Foot Patrol celebrates its 27th birthday with Footapalooza

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Laurier’s Foot Patrol will be celebrating its twenty-seventh birthday. In honour of the club’s birthday, Foot Patrol will be holding a week-long celebration called Footapalooza.

Footapalooza will be held on campus throughout the week of Nov. 18 to 25. All Laurier staff and students are invited to come out and participate in the celebration.

Footapalooza events will include free giveaways, carnival games and “Bingo with Twan” on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 19. In celebration of their official birthday, Foot Patrol will be serving free cake and cupcakes in the concourse on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Foot Patrol is a service that offers safe walks or rides home to all students attending Wilfrid Laurier University.

If a student is by themselves or does not feel comfortable walking home alone at night, they can call the service any night of the week to receive a free escort home by one of their peers involved with the club.

Also, if someone lives more than two kilometres away from campus, they have the option of receiving a ride home from Foot Patrol’s van service which runs at 11 p.m., 12 a.m., 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

Victoria Bothwell, an executive member of Foot Patrol, claims that the club is an essential service at the heart of the Laurier community. She explains the club’s significance on campus, stating, “It’s really important because it promotes safety within the Laurier community.”

The safety and peace of mind that Foot Patrol has offered Laurier students for the past 27 years deserves celebration, but Footapalooza is about more than that. The bigger purpose of the festivities is to promote the presence of Foot Patrol on campus so it can reach even more students.

“The event is just important to really promote the service to encourage other students to use it because not many people are aware of what Foot Patrol is,” Bothwell explains.

While Bothwell hopes that Footapalooza will spread awareness about the services that the club offers to students, she also hopes that it will attract new volunteers. The timing of Foot Patrol’s publicity celebration lines up well with opportunities to get involved with the club, as they are hiring until 11:59 on their birthday.

Thanks to Foot Patrol’s members over the past 27 years, Laurier students will be able to celebrate another year of safety on campus during Footapalooza. Whether its applying to Foot Patrol, playing a carnival game or eating a cupcake, all Laurier Students are encouraged to show support for Foot Patrol and participate in the upcoming birthday celebrations.