OCTOBER 15, 2013
FEATURE
B10
Career fairs Sara Warrender sewarrender2@liberty.edu
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
NIGHTMARES — A new year brings new scare tactics as the haunted-house-style event aims to reach unsaved people.
Scaremare screams begin The Liberty-run haunted house ministry marks its 41st year of existence with new frights
Dillon Sherlock djsherlock@liberty.edu
Liberty University crept its way into October with the opening of the 41st annual Scaremare Thursday, Oct. 10. The event, which draws tens of thousands of people each year, will run every Thursday through Saturday for the rest of the month. Scaremare is one of Liberty’s unique ways of bringing the gospel to the unreached by way of spine-chilling entertainment. Attendees go on a frightening journey through a series of mysterious situations, including spooky houses, dark woods and people
in terrifying costumes. The trail ends with a clear presentation of the gospel. Last year marked Scaremare’s 40th anniversary, which brought several major changes to the event. This year, attendees can expect to experience something totally different, according to Steve Vandegriff, Scaremare director. “Let’s just say we have turned things around, and I’ll leave it at that,” Vandegriff said. “If people think they know how it goes, they won’t anymore.” Last year, Scaremare attracted more visitors than ever before, with approximately 26,000 people in attendance. This year, the
Scaremare staff is shooting for an even higher number of visitors. “A big part of this high number is due to the fact that we had nine dry nights, and we live and die by the weather,” Vandegriff said. “This year, we expect an even higher turnout, but we are keeping our eyes on the sky.” According to Vandegriff, Scaremare attracts groups of people who travel great distances for the event. “People use Scaremare as a travel destination and make a weekend of it,” Vandegriff said. “I’ve seen groups come all the way from New Jersey and Florida.” In order to put on an event
this size, Scaremare runs on volunteers, which come exclusively from Liberty. “We generally need about 150 students per night to run Scaremare,” Vandegriff said. “Most of these students do this to fulfill their Christian/Community Service requirements. We get a good amount of students from all different majors and classifications.” At the end of Scaremare, participants are brought into tents to hear the gospel presented by Liberty students. Richard Brown, an assistant professor of Youth Ministries,
See SCAREMARE, B8
Lynchburg runs for freedom Ashley Bunner
abunner@liberty.edu
Hope and excitement filled the air as more than 2,000 people gathered at Lynchburg College Saturday, Oct. 12 to participate in the Freedom 4/24 Run for Their Lives race. According to relevantmagazine.com, Freedom 4/24 is an organization that collects money in $24 increments to buy young girls around the world a night of freedom from sexual slavery. Registration for the race buys a young girl the chance to be ministered to in a Freedom 4/24 safe house, where they are given the chance to live permanently. According to freedom424.org, this is the 5th annual Run for
Their Lives race in Lynchburg, which consisted of a 1k Kids Fun Run and a 5k run/walk. Fifty kids participated in the fun run, and more than 1,000 people participated in the 5k. According to Freedom 4/24 President and Executive Director Tim Spaulding, the outcome of the race was fantastic. Runners said the hills on the course were challenging, but it was all worth it in the end. “The course was much harder than I thought it would be,” participant Kylie McMichael said. “The hills were worse than the ones on Liberty University’s campus, which is where I usually run, but it was worth it.” Sara Hunt, a former human trafficking victim, spoke before
The Liberty University Career Center is hosting the Health Professions and School of Communication & Creative Arts career fairs over the next two weeks, inviting all Liberty juniors, seniors and alumni in pursuit of jobs or internships. Both fairs will be held from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. in the Reber-Thomas Dining Atrium. The Health Professions Career Fair will be held Oct. 22, while the School of Communication & Creative Arts Career Fair will be Oct. 29. According to the Career Center’s website, the Health Professions Career Fair will include 20 employers. Carilion Clinic, offering full-time and parttime jobs and internships, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, offering full-time and part-time opportunities, and the Medical Center of Central Georgia, which will offer internships, will be at the fair. According to Courtney Tate, employer relations coordinator, the Medical Center of Central Georgia is the second-largest hospital in Georgia and gives students an opportunity to expand their skills. “(Employers) who (are) coming to this fair, they all have openings,” Tate said. “I think, before, there weren’t as many options to get internships and jobs, and this time, there are a lot of opportunities for students to move forward with an internship or job. So, that is really exciting.” The School of Communication & Creative Arts Career Fair will include 18 employers. Among the companies that will be represented are ABC 13-WSET (internships), WDBJ Television (internships), the National Journalism Center (internships) and The Lynchburg News & Advance (internships). “Our director (Richard Glass) has been very intentional about getting a wide range of employers and also some of the larger companies that might have more opportunities for students,” Ryan Andrews, career counselor at the Career Center, said. Students are encouraged to visit the Career Center for résumé critiques, instruction on how to introduce themselves to employers or to receive help in taking steps to prepare for future careers. WARRENDER is the feature editor.
FYI
Sam Chappell | Liberty Champion
RACE — Participants ran with aiding sex-trafficking victims in mind. the race began and encouraged runners with her story of being saved from human trafficking. Hunt encouraged women who are going through a tough time to
lean on Jesus and establish a good support system.
See FREEDOM, B8
The next issue of the Liberty Champion will highlight the career fairs available to students for the remainder of the year.