In the looming shadow of Halloween, paranormal activity in the Alpha Kappa Phi sorority house seems to be on the rise. Terror was in the air Wednesday Oct. 29 when students as well as community members reported hearing screams coming from inside the house. The reason? The ladies of Alpha Kappa Phi had turned their 26 Wadsworth St. home into their fifth annual haunted house. The annual proceeds from this event are all donated to Bivona, a nonprofit organization that offers a “safe, welcoming place for children that have been sexually or physically abused,” according to the organization’s website. Participants in the event included students as well as families from the Geneseo community.
When first entering, participants were greeted with a bake sale on the front lawn of the house. Here, they could purchase tasty treats with proceeds benefitting charity Bivona.
But little did they know the tricks that were awaiting them inside the house; from being chased by terrifying clowns, walking through an asylum and a live exorcism. The old wives’ tale of “Bloody Mary” even appeared in the mirror of their bathroom, while the basement had also been turned into an eerie graveyard complete with flashing strobe lights.
Combining both the $3 entrance fee along with the bake sale’s revenue, last year’s haunted house was able to raise more than $300. Prior to this year’s event, the AGO girls were optimistic about raising funds and support for Bivona.
“My class is all very excited to participate in what will be our first haunted house ever,” sophomore Sinead Haegeland said. “It’s for a cause that we all feel pride in supporting; Bovina does great things for children in the Rochester area.”
“It’s always our biggest charity event of the year,” sophomore Nikki Cardno said. “We are all expected to put at least two hours of work in a day toward set-up and decorations.”
Although they receive some funding from the goverment, Bivona greatly relies on donations from the surrounding region in order to function. It is charity events such as the AGO Haunted House that allows this organization to help over 1,500 kids and their families every year.