Are you a Rockhurst student looking for plans tonight? Do you want to earn service hours?

Then you can assist children and families with the annual trick-or-treat event that is hosted in Rockhurst’s on-campus community center.

Safe Trick-or-Treat will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Halloween. Volunteers will arrive by 5:15 p.m. to sign in and welcome the arriving families.

Trick-or-treating is a Halloween tradition celebrated by children who dress in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, asking for candy.

Unfortunately, in the past few years, due to a lack of safety, in the neighborhoods surrounding Rockhurst campus, the tradition has dwindled.

To provide children with a safe environment to celebrate Halloween, the community center offers its facility every October 31.

Prior to Halloween night, students from different clubs, such as RAKERS, Random Acts of Kindness Sharers, volunteer their time to transform the building into a haunted house for families. The students’ efforts are coordinated by the event’s sponsor Alicia Douglas, Rockhurst’s Director of Community Relations and Outreach.

“We interact with kids and their families, giving them a great, fun experience,” Douglas said. This Halloween, “we are expecting about 350 to 500 kids.”

The haunted house consists of 4 rooms, each decorated with different props, including skeletons, coffins and ghostly sound effects. To add to the spooky mood, the lights are turned off.

Outside of the haunted house, there are different tables at which families can participate in activities and games. Participants are greeted at the welcome table and are invited to grab some treats from the candy table.

Student volunteers are invited to serve as haunted house tour guides, indoor and outdoor litter patrol, lost-and-found keepers and as face-painters.

Douglas hopes to see a lot of volunteers, all in costumes, to make the event an “inclusive and fun experience for all.” For volunteers interested in participating but whom do not have a costume, Douglas has some last-minute costume ideas and makeup.

Volunteers are invited to sign up for shifts by contacting Douglas. It’s not too late to join the fun!