Despite careful planning and preparation for our TSA event here at Cal State-Fullerton, some unforeseen problems arose that polluted a majority of our efforts.  My hope is that our experience can be used as an example if any other chapters run into the same type of problem.  

We booked a corner of the quad weeks in advance for our event.  We had a late night chalking campaign the night before where we wrote slogans about the TSA along with our facebook address.  We had many signs for the event ready to go when the date arrived.  On the morning of the event, we set up our table and had everything in its place.  We did everything we were supposed to do.

Last Saturday morning, YAL members from California State University, Fullerton took some time to give back to our communities.  Waking up early in the morning is not always easy for college students, especially on a Saturday, but it is definitely worth it and we made it happen.  Coordinating with the Volunteer and Service Center on our campus, we volunteered at the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen at St. Joseph's School in Santa Ana.  What we participated in was a inspiring display of charity and voluntarism.

Upon arrival we witnessed an area full of boxes containing food, toiletries, laundry supplies, and other household items that were prepared for needy people.  Adjacent to that was an area with about four chairs where off duty hairstylists were giving away free haircuts to people that could not afford them.  Next to that area was a large kitchen where local high school kids and volunteers were preparing massive amounts of spaghetti to feed the community.  We passed the kitchen and headed outside to the area we would be working in, the playground.  As soon as we got outside we saw hundreds of people, mostly families with lots of kids.  There was a giant stack of Christmas trees that were being raffled off to the families and it was clearly making people very excited.