On Monday, April 15, campus buzzed with excitement as LEVEL’s Casino Night unfolded once again in the Villanova Room in the Connelly Center. The annual event, known for its array of entertaining games and enticing prizes, drew crowds eager to support both the Office of Disability Services and Villanova’s student organization, LEVEL. This is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
“LEVEL is a disability advocacy club on Villanova’s campus that aims to ‘LEVEL the playing field’ between students with and without disabilities,” Bella Lentini, senior LEVEL Outreach Coordinator, said. “While there are many inclusion organizations on campus, LEVEL focuses primarily on Villanova students that identify as disabled and works to promote a supportive and inclusive community.”
The group is on a mission to dismantle barriers and foster inclusivity among individuals with diverse abilities and disabilities. Its ultimate goal is to strive to advance disability advocacy and redefine community both on and off campus. Here, disability education takes shape through program gatherings, engaging activities and a variety of accessible events.
Gregory Hannah, Director of the Office of Disability Services since 2009 and the founding advisor for the Student Group LEVEL, offered some insight into his role within the program.
“Our goal is to make daily interactions all-inclusive as well as raise ableism awareness at Villanova and beyond,” Hannah said.
The idea for Casino Night sparked in 2012, where Hannah pitched the concept for the event, leading to its debut.
“When we started LEVEL, we were ready to do all that we could to share our mission and expose Villanova students to our new group,” Hannah said. “I saw that student groups hosted fundraisers during the year, but I had not seen a Casino Night. I attended one when I was in college, had no experience running one, but knew it could be an awesome community night with fun, games and prizes.”
An awesome community night is right, as LEVEL’s success has allowed this fundraiser to run for the last 13 years. Making this event possible requires a lot of hard work and meticulous planning. Members of LEVEL were spotted tabling in Conn and bustling behind the scenes, working tirelessly to make the event a success.
“Logistics leading up the event includes booking the Villanova Room, collecting raffles, preparing for refreshments and decorations, deciding on a layout for the games and selling tickets to the student body,” senior and LEVEL President Claire McBlain said.
Casino Night allows LEVEL to create exposure for disability awareness and brings students together.
“We want as many people as possible to know about LEVEL because it provides a community to every student and we want every student to understand that they can find a home in LEVEL,” senior Ellie Smart, Vice President of LEVEL and Head of Casino Night, said..
The highlight of the event was the opportunity to win more than 46 prizes, which ranged from Villanova merchandise to a TV to student-made baskets to AirPods, among others. Casino Night offered ticket holders the chance to participate in various card games, bingo and other casino-themed activities, all overseen by faculty members. Tokens won during the games could then be exchanged for entries into the raffle for chances to win the prizes.
The money made from the Casino Night directly supports students with disabilities.
“What is awesome about this event is that with each ticket purchased, Villanova students are helping other Villanova students registered with the Office of Disability Services gain access to the full Villanova experience,” Hannah said. “[It] has helped with costs to create and execute accessible events such as retreats, banquets, break trips, campus improvements, and supported the addition of an ADA accessible Van that is used on a daily basis.”
Nate DiFulvio, a junior LEVEL member, spoke about his experience with the organization and the impact of this fundraiser.
“I came into Villanova freshman year registered with the Office of Disabilities Services, and I was nervous how the transition to college would be with a disability,” DiFulvio said. “I can comfortably say I have found a community and home within LEVEL. I think that casino night is a great way to pull the community together and have people who might not have tangible connections come together to celebrate a great cause.”
LEVEL’s Casino Night was a huge success and showed the impact that an event of this nature can have to foster inclusivity on campus.
If one would like to learn more about LEVEL, meetings are held in the East Lounge at 7 p.m. every Tuesday. You can also reach out to the organization directly at [email protected]. Everyone is welcome.
