As hearts were heavy on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Westfield State came together as a community to participate in HOOT Day. HOOT Day—which stands for “Helping Out Our Town”—is the campus’s annual community service program. Any student is welcome to participate.

Everyone came together at the Boys and Girls Club down the street from campus to help with the 9/11 remembrance half marathon, 5k, and 10k races. Each student involved had a different job, like directing runners in the right direction, making sure the runners got water, and cheering the runners on all the way to the finish line.

Emily Fluet, a junior at Westfield, said “There were three races going on, so we held up signs to make sure they followed the right route and cheered them on as they ran by. I could tell the runners appreciated us being there and it was a fun positive atmosphere”.

This event brought some Westfield State teams together as well. The WSU Competitive Dance Team volunteered at the water and Gatorade tables to make sure all the runners kept hydrated on what was a very hot day.

Chloe Benoit, a sophomore on the team said “I have really only known these girls through Zoom, so being able to volunteer together was such a great bonding experience”.

At the end, all the runners and volunteers came together at the finish line for a big barbeque to honor the brave people who died on that tragic day.