As part of National Recovery Month, campus organizations are teaming up to host a sober tailgate ahead of Saturday’s UCF vs. Stanford football game.
The tailgate, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., will be in the Veterans Academic Resource Center, located in Knights Plaza next to Jimmy John’s. It will feature several guests, including NFL Super Bowl Champion Fred Stokes and NFL Star Vance Johnson. “The Couch Live Radio Show” will also be broadcasting live from the event.
Food catered by local Mission BBQ and drinks will be provided, thanks to Advanced Recovery Systems, a local recovery treatment center, and the Camaraderie Foundation, which provides free mental health counseling to veterans, service members and their families. There will also be tailgating games for the whole family and door prizes.
The tailgate is sponsored by UCF’s Sober Knights, the UCF Student Veterans of America chapter and SALUTE Veterans Honor Society. Student leaders and advisors from these groups will be present if to meet and discuss how their organizations support students.
Thomas Hall, advisor to the Sober Knights student organization, said substance-free activities like the tailgate are “good for everyone” because they alter the misconception that college life must include use of alcohol and drugs. The goal of the tailgate, he said, is to offer a sober alternative to pre-game events and to celebrate students, faculty and staff who are in recovery.
“Universities may find if they offer alterative activities, sober curious students will find their way and change the narrative that drinking is central to having a good time,” Hall said.
Kickoff for UCF vs. Stanford is at 3:30 p.m.
For more information on the tailgate, contact crc@ucf.edu.
