Care Fair alleviates stress, unites community

By Jay Roberson

Amid the stress of internships, jobs and school, Rider held its third semi-annual Community Care Fair on Nov. 7 to alleviate students’ troubles and create connections. 

Students, staff and faculty members wore shirts with “Be kind to your mind” on the front and “No Bronc walks alone” on the back.

Mike Reca, vice president of university operations and a leader of Rider’s Community Wellbeing Committee, hoped to enhance the Care Fair by attracting more people from outside of Rider. 

“We went from about 20 participant vendors up to 31. This year, we’ve added the PRIDE Center and a tarot card reader … we got more participation from external groups that wanted to be a part of this and speak with our students,” said Reca. 

Some external organizations included the Lawrence Health Department, who handed out COVID-19 tests, and Ice Cream Emergency, a truck where students made their own sundaes. Students also relaxed with do-it-yourself essential oils and free massages. 

Senior elementary education major Sophia Caparas expressed her gratitude for events like the Community Care Fair as a way to destress between classwork and internships. 

“It’s a reminder of community and taking a mental health break in between classes. A lot of these organizations are here to help students, hand out freebies and are just coming together to have a good time to remind the students of what resources are available,” said Caparas. 

Other on-campus resources, such as the Rider Resource Pantry, provided information for students. The Center for Diversity and Inclusion offered stickers and pins, Public Safety gave out narcan and the Rider Counseling Center supplied fidget toys.

The student-run business Rider Resilience, created for a Business in Action program, attended the event as well, promoting their sweatshirts that stated “Rider Resilience” while providing information about their mission. 

Ethan Lopez, freshman finance major and cofounder of Rider Resilience, said, “Our main goal was to bridge the gap between survivors of mental health struggles and potential allies who may not know how common and frequent mental health problems occur.” 

Rider Resilience also hopes with their merchandise they are able to remind students of the community supporting them at Rider. 

Kripi Jain, who is a graduate assistant at the Rider Resource Pantry, emphasized that the Community Care Fair is a valuable resource for students on Rider’s campus. 

“Especially for international students and students who are new to the country, for them, I feel like these fairs are very helpful. … It’s a nice time to engage and be aware about what they have in school and connect with people if they want to do some volunteer work,” said Jain. 

Jain further explained we should be taking care of our mental health everyday, and the Community Care Fair is a great opportunity to do so. 

“I’m also a counseling student, so I’m doing my masters in clinical mental health counseling with a concentration in movement therapy. So this is very fitting to what I’m doing, and I feel that’s something that we need to remind ourselves and people that we’re helping on a day to day basis,” said Jain. 

Not only did the Community Care Fair provide fun activities and free resources, but it brought together and celebrated the Rider community. 

“This is important for students because it’s a whole fair that’s free. It is just about spreading awareness and positivity and getting the message across that it’s one large family at Rider,” said Lopez.