YPSILANTI, Mich.-Cost of “medical” summer camp $1,000. Cost of Tug-a-Turtle $25 a team. Cost of possibly saving a kids life, by falling in Jell-O, priceless.
Tires kick back dust in the the unpaved parking area of Frog Island Park. As birds chirped, familiar hip hop and pop songs played loudly from a distance. The sweet smell of barbecue was in the air when entering the playing field.
(Photo Above : Jell-O being Mopped into the center for another round. Photo by Ashley M. Lewis)
Most of the park was a downward hill, the dew of the morning was still fresh on the grass therefore participants found it hard to stay off the ground. Big groups of similarly dressed students came into the park by the dozens. Some of the participants were adorned with ripped up T-shirts, tie dyed shorts and self-made sweatbands. Some of the participants had painted themselves and others looked as though they should have been female participants for the NFL. Except, there were no shoulder pads, just broad shouldered and wideback women wearing soccer cleats.
Participants formed a line up to an awkwardly planted picnic table. A large neon pink sign read “Turtle Tug Team sign-ups." Two non-participating women from the Delta Zeta sorority were checking off names, collecting money and signing people in. After an hour, everyone had signed in and various chitchatting was heard among the teams. Groups were starting to get rowdy for the tug of war challenge ahead of them.
Courtney Pronishen, another member of Delta Zeta sorority brought out a large megaphone and pushed the siren. The Ear-piercing noise echoed across the park.
She placed her hand above her hand and swayed them in a come-hither motion.
Pronishen yelled “Come on everyone, Lets get ready to begin turtle tug.”
She continued: “ On behalf of Delta Zeta, I would like to thank everyone for coming out on this humid Saturday morning, with your donation today, we will be able to send one lucky kid to a week of special needs summer camp in California.”
By mid-afternoon more than 10 teams had fallen in Jell-o, the losing team sat on the opposite side of the spectators, wrapped up in large beach towels and clearing Jell-o and grass off their faces.
Members of one team who had fallen, started hurling Jell-O onto the other participants who had not fallen in.
Helping to save a kid's life, is a real accomplishment, with a simple pull of a rope and a simple tumble into green Jell-O.
(Photo Below: Participants fall into Jell-O photo by Ashley M. Lewis)
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