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UNF Alumni and Living-Learning Communities to celebrate at Deck the Chairs holiday event

UNF light display at the Deck the Chairs eventThe University of North Florida’s Alumni Association and Living-Learning Communities will celebrate the holidays at the Deck the Chairs community light festival in Jacksonville Beach on Friday, December 3 from 6 to 8 p.m.

UNF Alumni and UNF Living-Learning Communities have again partnered to create two chairs and a miniature UNF arena for the event. Attend to see the basketball team, shoot hoops, browse the bookstore kiosk, watch the dance and music performances and more.

The Deck the Chairs holiday event was started by Kurtis Loftus, a UNF alumnus, and has brought joy to the Jacksonville community for over a decade.

In 2020, a partnership began between the UNF Living-Learning Communities and Deck the Chairs to create a community engagement experience for the LLC students during the pandemic. UNF is home to 16 LLCs supporting several different interest areas and academic majors.

The LLC students compete in a “Tiny Chair” competition; each LLC receives a miniature lifeguard chair and designs and decorates the chair. The whole process is student-led, and 9 LLCs submitted their Tiny Chairs to be voted on by the Jacksonville community.  Through a social media voting campaign, the Make a Difference in Education (M.A.D.E.) LLC chair won. All the M.A.D.E. LLC students are first-year students in teacher education majors, and their chair has a colorful blend of UNF pride and education symbols like books and primary colors. 

In 2013, Deck the Chairs was established and is inspired by the iconic features and sustaining presence of lifeguards. More information can be found at www.deckthechairs.org.