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Week 9 "Belle-time"

The beginning of week 9… it’s a signal that the seemingly never ending midterms season is finally concluded, which means that it’s time to lift our gazes up from our notebooks and look toward the next daunting milestone in the quarter system: finals. This short transition period this quarter was leaving me with an unshakeable feeling of apprehension. On the Wednesday afternoon of week 9, I did what many of us do when panic sets in: I called my mom.
After venting all of my stresses to my wonderfully listening mother, she asked me if I had any Belles events going on this week. I told her I was going to Challah for Hunger that night, and she said “There you go! You’ll have some great ‘Belle-time’ and everything will be fine again!”
My all-knowing mom was right. Challah for Hunger, an event at UCLA Hillel in which volunteers roll and fold challah bread for a weekly charity bake, has become one of my very favorite Belles events. 
The atmosphere in the room was exceptionally positive. The bake incorporated the best aspects of Belles philanthropy events: we were taking a break from studying by giving our time to an admirable cause and truly enjoying our time spent together volunteering. I caught up on some of my closest friends’ lives as I drizzled caramel and sprinkled chocolate chips into the dough. The upbeat music kept the room lively, while baby Belles, general members, DBs, and board members bonded over the difficulty of closing the dough around the slippery caramel. Thoughts of quickly approaching week 10 finals and overcommitments to meetings faded away. 

Rather than Belles requirements serving as more time commitments in a packed schedule, they consistently provide Belles with an outlet in which we give our time and effort to a philanthropic organization. Although it sounds cliché, the more I’ve invested myself and engaged with Belles events, the more perspective I’ve gained about communities at UCLA and in the LA area, as well as about how I fit into that bigger picture. An understanding of how my education and involvement in BBSA can affect these communities has become so important to me and makes me appreciate my time spent with Belles at events like Challah for Hunger.

 Kelsey Warren,
Fundraising Distinguished Belle

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