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Friday, December 3, 2010

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Students remodel house REACH Ministries’ donation-funded project increases accessibility for teen with muscular dystrophy DHARA SHETH The Oklahoma Daily

A crowd of approximately 50 college students cheered as a tearful mother pushed her son in a wheelchair up a ramp into their newly renovated home Thursday afternoon. As the Hosler family entered their home, they saw newly painted walls, new furniture, wider doors, a bigger bathroom and most importantly, a room that 13-year-old Joey Hosler could wheel himself into without needing his mother’s or sister’s aid.

Joey has Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, a condition that progressively weakens his muscles by impeding the way muscle tissue builds back after use. For the last two years, Joey has needed to use a wheelchair. Joey’s mother Mindi has been searching for ways to make their house more accessible since then and has succeeded thanks to the efforts of REACH Ministries. REACH is designed to inspire students to serve in the community, said Taylor Doe, REACH founder. Although Doe wants to reflect the love of Christ in the missions REACH participates in, members do not have to be Christian, said Doe, a human relations senior.

REACH does not meet regularly for worship but instead holds monthly service projects along with a few annual service projects, including hosting a senior citizen prom and taking inner-city kids to an NBA game. Renovating the Hosler house was one of REACH’s monthly service projects. All this week, students worked 2 p.m to 2 a.m. fixing the Hosler house. Doe heard about the Hosler family a few weeks ago through a friend. He quickly put together the remodel in order to finish it before the holiday approached and before students became busy with finals.

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Quidditch teams to take flight during tournament 7 Hogwarts on Campus teams began practicing in October for Saturday’s games RYAN GERBOSI The Oklahoma Daily

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of news reporter Ryan Gerbosi’s firstperson account of his experience joining Hogwarts on Campus and training for OU’s first Quidditch tournament. Wednesday afternoon, a friend asked if I was going to a party Friday night. I told him I wasn’t sure, I might have Quidditch practice. Ryan Gerbosi I got a stare of disbelief, followed by laughter and a few derogatory jokes not fit for print. Like any Quidditch player would, I shrugged it off knowing Quidditch is one of the toughest sports out there. I will get my first true shot at the game this Saturday at the Hogwarts on Campus Quidditch Tournament at the Intramural Fields. Quidditch combines the speed of basketball and soccer, the physicality of rugby and the “Five D’s” of dodgeball in one game. Oh, and you have to hold a broom between your legs the whole time. The sport was first played in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont, according to the International Quidditch Association. It has spread to colleges across the country. In October, I joined Hogwarts on Campus mainly for the opportunity to try the magical sport of the wizard world. At my first meeting, I quickly found a home as a chaser for the The Whomping Willows. A chaser handles the quaffle, the main ball used to score. Other positions include the keeper, who guards the three hoops on their team’s side. The beaters throw dodgeballs at opposing chasers, forcing them to drop the quaffle and run back to their own hoops before rejoining play. The seeker has the job of catching the snitch, a runner dressed in all yellow with a flag attached to his back. When the snitch is caught, the game is over and the catching team is awarded bonus points. Since that first meeting, the » 10:30 a.m. — seven teams competing have Fawks Fighters vs. been preparing for Saturday’s Bloody Brilliant tournament. “We have used various » 11:30 a.m. — training methods, such as Team Incendio vs. throwing and passing drills The Womping Willows and catching one handed,” said Joshua Trope, political » 12:30 p.m. — science junior and captain of Phantasmic Night the Phantasmic Night Furies. Furies vs. The Trope said his team has SlytherGriffinHuffleClaws been practicing twice a week at Reeves Park since mid-October. Hogwarts on Campus also began preparations for the tournament. “We are in the process of constructing six goal posts out of PVC pipes with a hula-hoop on the top,” said Maggie Rogers, international studies and film and media sophomore and head of Gryffindor. Rogers said they also bought 14 brooms for the competitors and types of balls to be used. Rogers’ work and that of Amanda Yates, University College freshman and head of Slytherin, will culminate in the tournament this weekend. “We’ve put in a lot of work for it,” Rogers said. “At this point we’re just excited to see it all come together.” To prepare for the tournament, The Womping Willows have been practicing when we can. One night, we met at the Huston Huffman Center to play basketball. On another day, we worked on our cardio. By now, our team is ready to take on whoever comes our way, starting with Team Incendio in the first round on Saturday. Rogers said the winner may move on to play other schools, but no definite plans have been made.

LATKES SOLD TO RAISE FUNDS FOR JEWISH CHARITIES

Tournament schedule

HELEN GRANT/THE DAILY

Asian studies senior John Best serves kugel to University College freshman Helga Skaftason during Latkes for Love on Thursday night at OU Hillel. The event is held each year to raise money for national and international Jewish charities.

Benefit promotes O Jewish food, culture

Hillel teams up with Alpha Epsilon Pi to raise money for children, breast cancer awareness with raffle, T-shirts, latkes

U Hillel buzzed with conversation and Jewish music as the Oklahoma Jewish community came together to raise money for three charities. Daniel Smith, architecture senior and event organizer who has helped with the Latkes for Love event for the last four years, said it has been successful. Hillel has raised more than $5,000 in two years, Smith said. The money was raised through tickets sales for the event. Smith said after all the costs of the event are covered, all of the remaining money is distributed evenly to the three charities: Save a Child’s Heart; Sharsheret, which benefits breast cancer awareness; and Keseht, which benefits disabled children. These charities were selected because they are supported by Alpha Epsilon Pi — a Jewish fraternity, Smith said. Musician Elad Katz provided guests live, traditional Jewish music while they sat laughing and eating Israeli salad, matzo ball soup, kugel and latke. While Latkes for Love fell on Hanukkah this year and is influenced by the Jewish holiday, it isn’t based solely around BY CHASE COOK | THE OKLAHOMA DAILY the holiday, Smith said. Hunter Overton, Sooners for Israel political director, attended the event to inform himself about Jewish culture and try a latke for the first time. “I wanted to get a feel for another culture not represented enough at OU,” said Overton, journalism sophomore. “I had no idea this was here until tonight.” Shayna Daitch, Hillel president emeritus, said she visited a hospital wing in Israel that was funded with charity money. I wanted to get a feel for another culture not represented “It’s amazing to think someone is alive enough at OU. I had no idea this was here until tonight.” because of the money you gave to help them,” said Daitch, international security studies senior. — HUNTER OVERTON, SOONERS FOR ISRAEL POLITICAL DIRECTOR Smith said the money will be counted during finals week, so they won’t know how much money raised until then. However much money they raise, Smith said that the Jewish tradition of tzedakah, or charity, will be upheld. “It’s a mandate saying we need to give back,” Smith said. “Someone will be helped by this.”

Gender Bender Ball held tonight For the second year, students can attend a formal dance where many dress as the opposite sex. OU’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Friends group will host its Gender Bender Ball tonight on campus. “It’s also a challenge to the fact that balls are very rigid enforcers of gender stereotypes and conformity,” group secretary Caleb Eggensperger said. Attendees are not required to cross-dress or dress in drag, but it is encouraged, Eggensperger said. The club sees this as an opportunity for students to try drag or cross-dressing in a non-judgemental environment. The event is open to all students, not just members of GLBTF. It will begin at 8 p.m. in the Scholars Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union with no charge for admission. — Hillary McLain/The Daily

A LOOK AT WHAT’S NEW AT Visit the multimedia section to see what decorations student groups used during the Union Programming Board’s 14th annual Festival of the Trees on Thursday

INDEX Campus .............. 1 Classifieds .......... 3 Life & Arts ........... 2 Opinion .............. 2 Sports ................ 4

TODAY’S WEATHER 68°| 43° Saturday: Partly cloudy, high of 55 degrees Visit the Oklahoma Weather Lab at owl.ou.edu