Lifestyle

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LIFESTYLE 11/8/25 6:44pm

Community Closet provides Burlington residents with free professional attire

By Megan Walsh

Burlington’s May Memorial Library was filled with racks of new or gently used clothes donated for community members to take for free during the Alamance Public Library’s Community Closet event. The event held Nov. 8 offered professional attire for community members in need of clothing for any professional need or transition. According to librarian and program coordinator Christina Rhone, this event serves as the closing for the library's annual Career Compass program, geared to help people transition into new jobs or prepare to enter the workforce. 

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LIFESTYLE 11/7/25 9:22pm

Elon University celebrates second annual SUBFest

By Fiona McAllister

Elon University’s Student Union Board hosted their second annual SUBFest on Nov. 7. Young Commons was filled with live music from students, free food and student-run businesses. Elon University's radio station WSOE 89.3 was also featured and had a station where students could paint shirts and vinyl records. After months of planning, Elon senior and SUB’s special projects chair Caroline Reich said planning for this year’s festival felt less hectic than the year prior.  “This year I felt a lot more confident. I was almost like, ‘Man, I can't believe I was so nervous about this last year,’“ Reich said. 

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LIFESTYLE 11/7/25 12:49pm

El condado de Alamance promueve la eliminación segura de medicamentos no utilizados mediante eventos de entrega

By Alice Morrissey

En todo el condado de Alamance, los buzones para medicamentos no utilizados ofrecen a los residentes un acceso constante y conveniente a opciones seguras para desecharlos. La organización Ciudadanos de Alamance por una Comunidad Libre de Drogas, dedicada a la prevención y reducción del consumo indebido de sustancias en la comunidad, tiene buzones ubicados en el Departamento de Policía de Mebane, el Departamento de Policía de Burlington y la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Alamance en Graham. Además de estos buzones, la organización colabora con las fuerzas del orden locales al menos dos veces al año para organizar jornadas de recolección de medicamentos, donde los residentes pueden llevar medicamentos no utilizados para su eliminación segura.

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LIFESTYLE 11/7/25 12:49pm

Alamance County promotes safe disposal of unused medication with drop-off events

By Alice Morrissey

Across Alamance County, drop boxes for unused medications give residents consistent and convenient access to safe disposal options. Alamance Citizens for a Drug Free Community, an organization focused on preventing and reducing substance misuse within the community, have boxes stationed at the Mebane Police Department, the Burlington Police Department and the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in Graham. In addition to these drop boxes, the organization also partners with local law enforcement at least twice a year to host medicine drop-off events, where residents can bring unused medications to be disposed of safely.

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LIFESTYLE 11/3/25 3:57pm

Waves of Puppetry: Paperhand Puppet Project spreads environmental awareness to North Carolina

By Anne Thyfault

Paperhand Puppet Project took over the Forest Theatre to present their annual show throughout August and September 2025. The show this year, “The Gift,” highlights stories surrounding water, its power and the importance of preservation, told through North Carolina water protectors and activists. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Paperhand Puppet Project’s production. The organization, recently turned nonprofit, officially began when Donovan Zimmerman met co-founder Jan Burger in 1998, starting the process of curating Paperhand Puppet Project into the production it has become today. Paperhand Puppet Project is set to continue and close out their production of “The Gift” in Asheville from November 7-9.

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LIFESTYLE 11/2/25 5:42pm

Elon alumna honored for supporting children of incarcerated parents

By Mia Torres

Yasmine Arington Brooks ‘15, was a junior in high school when she started a grassroots nonprofit scholarship program for children with incarcerated parents. Now she is an honoree of the L'Oréal Paris USA Women of Worth award. “I’m really grateful, especially in a time like this, because this type of visibility and of course you know the sisterhood that comes with it, and just meeting amazing women who are, who have just beautiful hearts and they're doing incredible things in their communities,” Brooks said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/25 9:03pm

Elon Gender & LGBTQIA Center embraces ‘spooky season’ with Fall Pride

By Elissa Leka

Elon University’s Gender & LGBTQIA Center’s mission is to create an inclusive space for all, where people learn to “support, advocate, and educate around gender and LGBTQIA identities.” For GLC events coordinator and Elon junior Maverick Powell the pumpkin painting table was a personal favorite. “I always volunteer to do the painting because I love painting, and I also love seeing some people come and pull up in their costumes,” Powell said. “I really want to be able to have a safe space on campus for other people to have fun and be comfortable with themselves.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/25 2:38pm

Room2Grow ofrece apoyo y educación a padres jóvenes y en situación de riesgo en el condado de Alamance

 

En un rincón de la sala de conferencias del Centro de Respuesta y Recursos para Víctimas de Agresión Sexual CrossRoads, Jekilah Suenu coloca con cuidado una pegatina en un vaso que dice: "¡Creciendo para ser la mejor versión de mí misma!". Mientras tanto, su madre, Brandy Daye-Suenu, prepara la sala para la clase de esa noche. Daye-Suenu es la fundadora de Room2Grow, una organización que ofrece clases educativas y terapéuticas para padres jóvenes y en situación de riesgo, de entre 16 y 30 años. "No contaban con los recursos necesarios para afrontar sus problemas emocionales y comprender cómo equilibrar la paternidad con su vida cotidiana", explicó Daye-Suenu.

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/25 2:38pm

Room2Grow offers support, education for young, at-risk parents

By Anjolina Fantaroni

In the corner of a conference room at CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response and Resource Center, Jekilah Suenu carefully places a sticker on a cup that reads, “Growing 2 Be the Best I Can Be!” Meanwhile, her mother, Brandy Daye-Suenu, prepares the room for the night’s class. Daye-Suenu is the founder of Room2Grow, an organization that hosts educational and therapeutic classes for at-risk and young parents 16 to 30 years old. “They didn’t have the resources to help them deal with what they were dealing with, emotionally, and understanding how to just balance being a parent and being a person in everyday living,” Daye-Suenu said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/30/25 11:39pm

Alamance County Sheriff's Trunk or Treat, builds relationship between community, law enforcement

By Abigail Haapapuro

For the second year in a row, Alamance County Sheriff's Office filled its parking lot with car’s trunks decked out in Halloween decorations and hosted its annual trunk or treat community outreach event Oct. 30. Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said the biggest drive to host the event was the shared desire to create a safe space for the children to celebrate Halloween in their community.“Right now, I think our society is a very dangerous place for our children, so we talked and decided we would host a trunk or treat in our own parking lot,” Johnson said. 

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LIFESTYLE 10/29/25 10:36pm

Elon University celebrates Diwali with lights, trivia

By Virginia Vance

Flickering candles, a Bollywood dance performance and educational holiday trivia characterized Elon University’s celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, on Oct. 29 in McKinnon Hall. Multifaith programming and event director Hillary Zaken said she wanted Hindu students to feel the atmosphere of the celebration and non-Hindu students to learn something new. “Part of your college experience is learning about traditions you might not have heard about, you might have celebrated before and don’t know anything about,” Zaken said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 9:49pm

Altamahaw Ossipee Civitan Club hosts Halloween Hoot-on-the-Farm

By Emma Luckman

The Altamahaw Ossipee Civitan Club hosted Halloween Hoot-on-the-Farm, an event that was specifically created for people with autism and their families on Oct. 25 at Buttermilk Creek Farm. Attendees experienced horseback riding, face painting, pumpkin decorating and live music. According to Steve Smith, the owner of Buttermilk Creek Farm, being one of the few events made for persons with autism, it is a “no-judgment zone” of different characteristics individuals may have. “The parents tell us it's like their state fair,” Smith said. “The kids get to come and have a great time without people staring at them.” 

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 8:21pm

Taste of Alamance returns to celebrate food and community

By Mia Torres

More than 15 local Alamance County restaurants came together to host Taste of Alamance, a food festival Oct. 25. There was food and music while people from all over the county and surrounding areas came to support the festival. All of the proceeds from Taste of Alamance benefited United Way of Alamance County which supports programs and initiatives to help families thrive.  “United Way provides community programming,” president of United Way of Alamance County Lacey Dabbs said. “Most people know us for investing money back out in the community. So, for this fiscal year we had 20 nonprofits that we provided funding.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 5:14pm

Showdown at Schar raises excitement in Elon basketball, Greek Week

By Benjamin Berfield

The beginning of Elon University’s Greek Week was met with anticipation not just for the upcoming events, but for the men’s and women’s basketball season. To kick off Elon’s 2025 Greek Week, fraternities and sororities participated with the basketball teams in an opportunity to earn points in the Showdown at Schar. Freshman guard DeMarco Johnson said he enjoyed getting to interact with some fans. Demarco said it was fun to participate in events such as the men’s basketball dunk contest. “It feels great seeing the atmosphere around, and just getting ready and being excited to play,” Johnson said. 

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LIFESTYLE 10/25/25 12:29am

Gala Latina: Más Que Una Historia empowers the Elon Latine community

By Barbara Duran

Colorful decor, music and laughter filled LaRose Student Commons at the annual Gala Latina. The event was more than just your average gala of people sitting and talking, it was vibrant and lively, full of community bonding and celebration of achievement. Going on its ninth year, the Gala Latina is the closing event El Centro hosts for Hispanic Heritage Month. Since the Gala’s inception, it has created a space for Latine students to come together and share in one another's accomplishments, heritage, and community. Elon University freshman Kimberly Barrera-Paredes said this event highlights Elon’s Latine community. “It really shows the community we have here,” Barrera-Paredes said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/25 7:04am

Elon Truitt Center holds Halloween event, creates space for Paganism on campus

By Megan Walsh

Spell bag making, pumpkin painting and tarot card readings were  some of the offerings students engaged in during The Veil is Thin: Spells, Symbols and Stories event. The event was held by Elon’s Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement, Hillary Zaken, said the event marked the second event in the center’s effort to bring more Pagan-centered events to campus. “What Paganism is to me is just having this deep reverence and respect for life, but also the way that you live your life, and living it intentionally,” sophomore Finn Hughes said.

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LIFESTYLE 10/24/25 12:48am

Elon Black Alumni Network panel bridges generations through reflection, empowerment

By Lauren McCowan

The Elon Black Alumni Network hosted its annual discussion panel on Oct. 23, welcoming students and alumni into the KOBC room, where they filled it with laughter, honesty, and reflection. Panelists Dyamond Howell ’19, assistant director of Alumni Engagement Initiatives; Alex Bohannon ’17, EBAN president; and Abdul-Malik Harrison ’21, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, led the discussion. Together, they reflected on identity, community and the importance of bridging the gap between alumni and students.

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LIFESTYLE 10/22/25 11:36am

Ms. Sandra greets students with strength after surviving breast cancer

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Sandra Greeson is a familiar face at McEwen Dining Hall, greeting students five days a week in the mornings and afternoons. Greeson was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer four years ago and was the first person in her family to have it. Even through her diagnosis and chemotherapy in 2021, she still worked the McEwen cash register, which she said gave her a drive. “I wanted to be strong and show others what it was like to be strong when you have cancer. It’s not just something you set back. You can be strong and move on forward with it.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/21/25 10:45am

Elon alumni bring original plays to NYC audiences

By Emma Perman

Two Elon University alumni are making their off-Broadway debut with plays inspired by their own lived experiences. From the halls of a convent in Peru to the reunions in a prison visiting room, these works dive into faith, queerness, familial trauma and complex love. Mallorie Sievert ’24 graduated from Elon with a bachelor of fine arts degree in music theatre. Sievert said she never imagined her undergraduate honors thesis, “The City-Women” would one day be read aloud on a New York City stage. Madelyn Slattery ’24 graduated from Elon with a degree in drama theatre studies and English, bringing her off-broadway debut with “Mom Play.”

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LIFESTYLE 10/19/25 5:20pm

Emotional support animals help Elon college students destress

By Mackenzie Cruz

Abby Martin did not expect to bring Gracie, a 12-year-old British shorthair cat, to school with her for her sophomore year at Elon University. Martin’s mom flew five hours from Houston to meet her in North Carolina with Gracie under the seat in front of her. She initially got a dog in 2020 to help with her anxiety, until she started college. “When I started coming to school, I kind of started experiencing those issues again, and I really just thought it would be helpful to have an animal with me,” Martin said.

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