Change Makers hosts game night at Linn-Benton Community College

Friends, family, and fun.

All were present during a, Feb. 1, afternoon game night at LBCC, hosted by the Change Makers. The event, advertised as a fun and relaxing afternoon of games and conversation, saw attendance from students, staff, and even children.

“This is what we do,” said Caty Contreras-Colin, the current president of the Change Makers, “we try to make change in the community.”

Contreras-Colin, a second-year student in the Human Development and Family Sciences program at LBCC, had members of her family present. 

Contreras-Colin first integrated into the Change Makers in 2022. Contreras-Colin had been impressed by the group's inclusiveness and their commitment to student growth. 

"If you're looking for an inclusive space, a safe space, a welcoming space," she said, "for growth, for fun, for inspiration … this is the place to do it." 

The Change Makers is a dedicated group of students committed to addressing problems they find within the local community. Created as a club in 2019, the group became a co-curricular to Human Development and Family Sciences majors in 2020. 

While a significant portion of the group's 12 members are human services majors, the Change Makers are open to anyone joining. 

Throughout the year, the co-curricular puts on events similar to Thursday's game night, such as a spa night, a family day, and collaborations with the Maker and Innovation Learning Lab (The MILL). 

However, for some attendees, the game night marked the first Change Makers event they had been a part of. 

"There is an assignment, extra credit, for coming, attending, and writing a paper, so there was a little more incentive to come," said Bri Gonzalez, a human services major at LBCC. 

Gonzalez, currently in her first year at LBCC, works in the Student Union and hopes to become a doula one day. While the extra credit assignment was part of the reason for Gonzalez's presence, Gonzalez had nothing but positive remarks for the game night. 

"It's an inviting space to just kind of hang out and get to know different people," said Gonzalez.

Following an introductory group icebreaker, guests conversed and migrated from table to table, participating in games such as Uno, Bingo, and Connect 4. Throughout the afternoon, a playlist of songs about connection and community played as visitors competed, laughed, and talked. 

The Change Makers provided guests with an array of snacks and beverages as well as some non-competitive activities for anyone interested. 

"It's been fun, people have been friendly," said Diane Sheese, an early childhood education major at LBCC. "It's nice that I felt welcomed tonight." 

Sheese first heard about the game night through a friend, a fellow early childhood education major with whom she shares multiple classes. With the game night being her first Change Makers event, Sheese shared her thoughts on the importance of campus community events. 

"I think they're great for LBCC," she said. "When I was going to college before, I joined a lot of events, because getting to know each other and your college family is important." 

For more information on the Change Makers and their future events, visit their page at www.linnbenton.edu/student-life/clubs-and-programs/human-services-co-curricular.php.