Stevenson alumni and athletes, along with Dr. Leeanne Bell McManus’ Advanced Event Planning class, will host a newly resurrected spring fling event called VillaFest.

On April 23 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. near the sand courts on the Owings Mills campus, spectators will be able to enjoy various games and food for a small fee, while the beach volleyball team is hosting a quad match. All proceeds collected during the event will go to the Cool Kids Campaign, a Baltimore-based nonprofit organization that helps to improve the life of children and their families fighting cancer.

Junior Kaya Roberts, a member of the event planning class, worked on developing the event and explained, “It’s been fun to plan such a large-scale event that might have an impact on Stevenson.”

VillaFest will feature entertainment including a moon bounce and a dunk tank, various yard games and snowballs and concessions. A large velcro soccer target, called Foot Flickers, will also be featured during the event as a specific fundraiser for the Cool Kids Campaign.

This event will serve as a revival of the old VillaFest that goes back several decades. “The hope is that this will again become an annual event, so it’s cool that I got to be part of the planning,” said Roberts.

Junior Steven Thomas also is part of the planning group. “Planning this event gave us a chance to see what it is like to develop and manage large-scale events in the real world, I never knew planning was this complicated,” he said.

The group planned the event to take place during the beach volleyball team’s only home match. “Our hope is to entertain the audience of the volleyball tournament. Between matches they can also have some fun at our event,” Thomas added.

“We just wanted everyone to have a chance to enjoy some nice weather, some good sports, and at the same time raise money for a good cause. What else is a better combination?” asked Roberts.