Northern Kentucky University Dining Services is hosting a charity event on April 9 in which participants will attempt to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records. “Balance” is the name of the game in this effort to break the world record for the greatest number of people on teeter-totters simultaneously in a single venue.

According to NKU Dining Services Marketing Director Janelle Craft, the record will be broken “if [they] have at least 100 teeter-totters going at the same time with two people on each teeter-totter.”
The NKU dining team is constantly looking for ways to give back to the community. Members of the team have worked with charity organizations such as Adopt-A-Family, Ronald McDonald House and the Freestore Foodbank.

Craft and her colleagues came up with the theme of balance for this year’s event, because she says it encompasses what they strive to do everyday—“offer balanced food choices, support sustainability in our operations and support a culture of work-like balance for our team.”

“We decided we wanted to do something large-scale where NKU students and the community could participate, and we wanted to directly support the campus,” Craft said.
The event is also being sponsored by NKU Green, the Activities Programming Board and the Office of Student Life.

Teeter Totter into the Guinness Book of World Records will be held on Monday, April 9 on the lawn in front of Griffin Hall. In the event of rain, the event will take place in Regents Hall. Registration will be from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 5 p.m.

There will be a variety of surrounding tables and booths with activities and information that relate to the event’s theme of balance.

The general public is invited to join in on the action, but registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis, as space and the number of teeter-totters is limited. Teams of four to eight people are encouraged to participate, and each team will be assigned its own teeter-totter that they can decorate and personalize.

According to Craft, the cost to participate is $15 per person for NKU students and $20 per person for non-students. There will be a special registration rate of $10 per person or $30 per team of four ($60 per team of eight) from Feb. 13-17. All teams must be registered by Feb. 29.

Craft says proceeds will be going to NKU Green and will support “sustainable initiatives on campus.”

“Specifically, to purchase BigBelly solar-powered waste and recycling stations for the campus,” Craft said.

Local vocational school Charles E. McCormick is building teeter-totters for the event as part of a class project. Each team will have the option of purchasing their teeter-totter.
According to the Student Life Coordinator Joshua Gruenke, the lumber from any unclaimed teeter-totters will be donated to Habitat for Humanity so they may use the materials in any way they see fit.
Prizes will be awarded to the teams that raise the most funds, as well as for best-decorated teeter-totter. Prizes include over $500 in gift cards to local restaurants, stores and entertainment venues.