Hosting the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world is no easy task. Through months of preparation, unwavering dedication and the efforts of more than 3000 student volunteers, Villanova’s Fall Festival, better known as Fall Fest, continues to achieve success year after year.
Junior Lyla Buxton serves as the Director of Administration on the Fall Fest 2025 management team. In her role, Buxton oversees six subcommittees: Athlete Involvement, Evaluations, Development, DEI, Unified and Computers and Registration.
“That’s probably been my favorite part of being the director,” Buxton said. “Just being able to support each committee and make sure they know if they need anything, I’m there.”
Each subcommittee plays an integral role in putting the weekend together, and it is Buxton’s responsibility to make sure everything is running smoothly. On Friday alone, the Unified committee is initiating a new home run derby, the DEI committee is working to set up low sensory spaces all around campus and the Development committee is setting up the annual President’s Reception.
“The weekend consists of a lot of moving parts, which are so much fun to see them all come together and see each committee’s hard work pay off and serve the athletes,” Buxton said.
Attending athlete flag football practices every Monday has been one of the most rewarding parts of Buxton’s role, giving her a deeper appreciation for the athletes’ commitment and determination.
“Seeing how hard they work every week and the grit that they have for competing is indescribable,” Buxton said. “It makes it all worth it to know that these are the people you are putting this event on for.”
Another member of the management team, senior Alex Blaha, serves as the Director of Support Services. Blaha oversees five subcommittees: Food, Transportation, Medical/Security, Housing and Facilities.
“You want Fall Fest to be focused on competition because it is a competitive event,” Blaha said. “So the support services allow those competitions to continue running without interruptions.”
Working in support services for the past three years has allowed Blaha to be a part of the little moments.
“It’s a really unique position because you can see every athlete out of competition, which is awesome,” Blaha said. “Being in the dining halls, you can really see every single athlete. It’s moments like that where you can see different counties eating with student volunteers.”
Blaha described how his leadership has grown throughout his time in the program. He strives to be a role model and lead by example for the dozens of volunteers working in support services.
“One thing that has helped me a lot is learning from people before me,” Blaha said. “I have so many role models from Special Olympics that have really shown me how to lead and lead by example, and I think that has helped me in my role now.”
Both Buxton and Blaha encourage Villanova students, if not already, to volunteer and get involved in Fall Fest in any way they can.
“It is such a cool atmosphere, whether you want to be a general volunteer or table at O-town,” Buxton said. “Just being there for a few minutes is awesome, but the more involved you get, the better.”
Blaha emphasized both Buxton’s point and the role that Special Olympics plays in the lives of both athletes and volunteers.
“Being involved with sports when I was younger and in high school, seemingly anyone can sign up for a t-ball league or preschool soccer, but those with disabilities don’t really have that opportunity as much as we do,” Blaha said. “Being able to be a part of an event that provides that environment for them is really important.”
As Fall Fest draws near, we’re reminded of the months of hard work and preparation that goes into making this event a success. Without Administration and Support Services, this weekend would not be possible.
