Neighborhood House's Family Fun Day brings together Madison community, UW students

Madison families and UW students came together at the Neighborhood House at 29 S. Mills St. Sunday afternoon to enjoy Family Fun Day, sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity.

Kids from around the Greenbush neighborhood and the Madison community spent the rainy day making arts and crafts, playing in the open gym and dancing to Kidz Bop songs. Event organizers also provided apples with caramel and fall-colored sprinkles as a snack.

“It’s nice because it involved the university [students] and the families in the neighborhood,” said Rick Dahl, who attended with his two sons, ages 2 and 5. “My five-year old was very excited to come to the party. He's been reminding me for several days now.”

Along with providing a space for special events, Neighborhood House plays host regular activities, such as dinner-and-movie nights. According to program director Amanda Ryan, community groups use the building as a meeting space.

“We like to show not just the immediate neighborhood what's going on here, but all of Madison,” Ryan said, adding that the building is centrally located within the city. “We want to try to get the community involved with us, not only for families and people in need but for also for people in the neighborhood but people in Madison to get together, be social.”

Neighborhood House will put on its annual Holiday Party for the Madison community Dec. 7. The event will include a visit from Santa and light snacks.