UF’s zombies will be handing their weapons over to children battling cancer this weekend.
For its fifth anniversary, the Gators Humans vs. Zombies club is including children in its spring game, which lasts from Saturday through April 3.
The group is pairing with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for the second time as part of a program called Extra Life, which fundraises through 24 hours of an activity chosen by the sponsoring organization.
“In our case we are playing Humans vs. Zombies but for 24 hours a day for 7 days, so really 168 hours of fundraising,” Alex Pinchin, the club’s president and a UF digital arts and sciences junior, wrote in an email.
This is the first semester the club has an official budget from Student Government. Hannah Gamache, the vice president of Gators Humans vs. Zombies, wrote in an email that the funding has been helpful for creating a more immersive game.
The opening ceremony for this semester’s game will involve several families within the Children’s Miracle Network. Pinchin, 21, said there will be a small mission for the kids.
Gamache, a UF English senior, said one of the characters is a biomedical officer who will ask the kids and players to explore the North Lawn and collect samples for his research. The kids will use socks to stun the zombies and then take their Nerf guns.
“We want this mission to focus on creating a fun and exciting experience for the kids,” Gamache, 22, said.
Participation is free and only requires attending a meeting to review the rules. Nerf guns are not provided, and the game will last 24/7 across campus all week.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 3/27/2015 under the headline “Humans/Zombies to fundraise for kids”]
Robert Donaghy, a UF aerospace engineering sophomore, and Bernard Marger, a UF computer engineering sophomore, promote Humans vs. Zombies on Turlington Plaza.
