Zoe Wilson-Groark stood over a pile of colorful construction paper on Wednesday, a red marker in her hand.
The 20-year-old UF graphic design junior wrote a card in bubble letters as she listened to Shakespearean rhymes like, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” on Turlington Plaza.
Shakespeare in the Park at UF belted out sonnets to students who wrote Valentine’s Day cards. The cards, covered in red hearts and encouraging words, will be delivered to children at UF Health Shands Hospital on Sunday.
Wilson-Groark said she loved the idea, and was happy to write a card for a child.
“Oh, it’s right up my alley,” she said. “Anything to make people feel good, man.”
Abigail Hummel, the president of Shakespeare in the Park at UF, has been part of the group since her freshman year.
“My entire college experience can be summed up by Shakespeare in the Park,” the 21-year-old UF biology senior said. “I’ll be really sad to leave.”
She said the Valentine’s Day event is new this year.
“So many people have come and made cards, which is amazing to see,” she said.
Dileep Rajput, a 20-year-old UF computer engineering sophomore, said he joined the club this semester.
“They’re really open to beginners,” Rajput said. “I had barely any acting experience whatsoever. I really enjoy the sense of community and the stuff I’ve learned from them.”
He said he plans to go to the hospital Sunday to help his friends hand out the cards.
“It’s really nice that you can use something like the arts to help people in need,” he said. “It really reaffirms your faith in humanity.”
Hummel said she hopes having people make cards on Turlington will promote the group.
“We get to get our name out there and do what we love to do, which is perform,” Hummel said. “And we get to help people while we do it.”
Contact Molly Donovan at mdonovan@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @Mollyidonovan.
