Columbia Alumni At Manhattanville Community Day

The Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) participated in Manhattanville Community Day for the first time on Saturday, June 8. 

Manhattanville Community Day is an annual day celebrating the Upper Manhattan community, especially Columbia’s neighbors in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and Washington Heights. This year’s event welcomed over 2,000 attendees from the local community and beyond, including Columbia staff, faculty, students, and alumni. CAA programs committee members and partners from Columbia Nursing and Columbia Dental executed three engaging activity stations, each designed to promote health, wellness, and education among children.

Columbia Nursing stations focused on promoting the wellbeing of children through healthy nutrition, physical activity, and mental wellness. The nutrition station aimed to empower children with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed dietary choices, laying the foundation for lifelong health and wellness. The exercise station featured fun fitness dice, activity handouts, and an exercise mat, encouraging kids to participate in physical activities and understand their importance. Finally, the mental health station provided education on developing healthy coping mechanisms and building emotional resilience, with volunteers guiding the children through these vital lessons.

Columbia Dental provided an interactive and educational experience centered around dental hygiene. Dental professionals conducted engaging sessions on the importance of dental hygiene, proper brushing techniques, and overall oral health. One popular activity was the brushing characters, where children practiced brushing.

The Columbia Alumni Association Programs Committee managed an innovative station that taught children about artificial intelligence. At this station, children had the opportunity to take photos that were then transformed into cartoons using the ChatGPT DALL-E software. Volunteers captured the photos, uploaded them to the software, and sent the generated cartoons to the attendees via email or phone.

Thank you to all Programs Committee members, Columbia Nursing, and Columbia Dental for their efforts and impact on our Manhattanville neighbors!