Stroll of the Century
By Hannah Ruefer

This year, Bozeman’s annual Christmas Stroll brought in thousands of attendees. It seemed as though the entire town was there. Huge dogs walked around with wreaths instead of collars or reindeer ears around their heads. Little kids ran around like wild, sipping on hot chocolate and splashing in the puddles at the curbs. There was a live nativity, a skit of A Christmas Carol playing for kids and a movie at the Ellen.

Thanks to my senior project, I got the fantastic opportunity to host a booth at this year’s Christmas Stroll. For my project, I have been vigorously researching the One-Child Policy in China and the effects that it has on women and children. My goal was to educate people on my topic as well as raise money to support these women and children. It seemed that the Christmas Stroll was the perfect place to do so.

The Country Bookshelf was kind enough to let me set up in front of their store: it turned out to be the perfect location. Santa and his sleigh full of carolers started just a few yards away from my booth, drawing in a huge crowd. With the help of some friends, I grabbed people’s attention, tempting them with the chance to win a gift card in a raffle drawing. While many people turned away or didn’t even hear us, we still managed to bring some in. There were some older folks who stopped by for a minute, just to look everything over. A few kids came running over while it rained to huddle under my tent, and I even met some folks who lived in Taiwan for a few years.
By the end of the night, I was exhausted and my feet hurt but everything was worth it. I managed to raise nearly $300. Several people took the flyers that I handed out. But the best part about the Christmas Stroll was getting to watch everyone in Bozeman come together.