Just Keep Sib-ing: Little Sibs Day
On Saturday, April 1, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) of Viterbo University held an all-day event for Viterbo students and their little siblings. This year’s Little Sibs Day consisted of forty-six participants and a full schedule of activities on-campus and in downtown La Crosse. Siblings, ages five through eighteen, had many options of different things to eat, explore, view and most importantly, things to facilitate quality time with each other. First-year dietetics student Brenna Meyer sported her “Big-Sib” title proudly. She explained that her reasoning for participating in the day was, "I think this is a great event to get to spend time with my little brother, I know I miss him when I am at school and this is a great way for us to talk and connect about our lives, while doing fun activities at the same time!"
Her fifteen year-old brother, Ryan agreed with his sister's statement, adding his perspective, "I think it is really cool to be able to do a bunch of the stuff on a college campus. As a high school student it is nice to get a feel for what it is like, and to have someone (Brenna) who knows the ropes, to be with you one-on-one." Though siblings could spend the day however they chose, downtown opportunities included a movie at the Rivoli, bowling at Pla-Mor Lanes (Brenna and Ryan bowled a few matches together), ice cream at the Pearl, and painting at All Glazed Up. On campus, there was a kickball game in the Assisi Courtyard, a picnic-lunch provided by the Caf, board games at the Hawk's Nest, and a movie showing of Finding Nemo with pizza for dinner in the Reinhardt building. Groups could attend all of the organized activities or just a few, improvising their merriment at their own discretion. Each group of siblings were issued t-shirts to use as their ticket to get into the activities
provided. The shirts were designed in the event's theme, Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. RHA President Stephanie Varilek believes that the theme is fitting because of lighthearted messages of unconditional love and support. As the coordinator of the day, Varilek wanted the Saturday to be welcoming for all siblings, with a level of flexibility applied to the variety of ages participating. She states the mission behind the event, "This day is special because it provides a fun and safe environment for families to connect. It can be difficult to find things to do when parents or siblings come to visit, but it is incredibly important to continue to spend time with family while in school. It is something that is easily forgotten or pushed to the side, due to all other commitments. Having a planned day of events removes some of the stress of finding ideas for how to spend time with siblings."
Varilek also participated as a Big-Sib with her family-friend, nine-year old Georgia. The duo exemplified that blood-relation is not required in order to be a friend and role-model to someone younger. All dynamics of siblings and sibling-like relationships were welcome, such as cousins, nieces and nephews, and nanny kids alike, all with the message in mind: Just Keep Sib-ing.