As the Forest Heights Elementary School kindergarten class lined up in the school parking lot for an autumn Trunk or Treat, a couple of the youngsters shouted, “Chuck E Cheese!”

Well, close. They spotted Ramey, the Columbia International University Rams mascot. And while he didn’t have pizza like the famous mouse, the kids were delighted in the candy Ramey and CIU athletes were sharing.  

CIU Associate Dean of Student Life Dr. Dan Coy was also on hand noting the event is part of an ongoing relationship between CIU and Forest Heights where CIU students often mentor the children in grades K-five.

“We’re here to share some joy and encouragement,” Coy said. “It’s really a bridge to our community, to serve in the community and add value to the community.”

Forest Heights Elementary is just a five-minute drive from the CIU campus.

The school’s Principal Jason Koepke, says the event was a way to celebrate as the students met behavioral and academic goals, adding that having the CIU students in their lives is “super important.”

“When (CIU) basketball players come, they’re like rock stars. (The children) jump up and want to go to them,” Koepke said. “It’s good for our kids to see older students who are now in college. It gives them some forward thinking.”

CIU freshman basketball player Hannah Freeman Wilkerson agrees.

“They get to see college students right in front of them,” said Wilkerson, a Sport Management major from Salisbury, North Carolina. “It’s something they have to look forward to, especially since we’re a university that’s right around the corner. They can have an idea of what success looks like.”

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