Fordham’s BeWell LC club posts weekly to their Instagram story and feed with facts about the coronavirus and tips for health and wellness during these challenging times. Although collaborating and coordinating meeting times has been more difficult, the club has stayed virtually active by hosting The Virtual Amazing Race on April 16.

BeWell LC has hosted an Amazing Race for freshmen students in the fall and one open to everyone in the spring. Usually, these races consist of groups of students racing around the city and competing for prizes. Since this was not an option this year, the club had to get creative with how to conduct one virtually.

Finley Peay, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’20 and BeWell LC president, has been involved with the club since her freshman year. Her resident assistant, who was the president at the time, recommended the group to her as a way to have fun and make some new friends. “I have come to have a greater appreciation for what the club stands for and what we do and the community we are able to create for undergraduates,” she said.

According to Peay, one idea the group had for creating a virtual scavenger hunt would have students find common household and outdoor objects. Considering the fact that everyone has different homes and backyard settings, though, the club opted not to do this, as they wanted to make the race as accessible to everyone as possible.

Instead, what they decided to do was hold the virtual race over a few days, April 16 through April 20, on Instagram. In order to compete, students had to follow the club on Instagram and post pictures or videos, tagging the club, of them completing challenges suggested by BeWell LC’s post. These challenges included doing push-ups, making new recipes, pictures of pets, Tik Tok dances and a coronavirus bucket list.

Each picture post counted as one raffle entry for a prize and each video post counted as two raffle entries. The winners will be announced within the coming days.

Peay noted that it has been hard for BeWell LC to keep students engaged and attending meetings regularly once going remote, but she is grateful for the support BeWell LC has received from the club’s adviser, Melissa Gazal, assistant director for programming and coordinator of alcohol and other drug education.

“We’ve gotten a lot of support from our advisor who has been in the Office for Student Involvement and I think that’s been great,” Peay said. “I think we are really lucky in that way, just having a greater level of support like USG (United Student Government) and CAB (Campus Activities Board) does than other clubs, so I feel fortunate for that.”

These challenges have caused the club to consider what the group is and what it stands for both on and off campus. Peay explained that this “has been an interesting journey.”

BeWell LC is doing what they can to connect with students and help promote both physical and mental wellness as students, professors and faculty members face the universal challenges of the coronavirus.