The National Organization of Women may be a relatively new club on the Sacramento State campus, but already it offers activities for students throughout the semester, with more planned for next fall.

NOW held a rally in the Library Quad on April 26, and featured live music, informative tables, presentations and games. It was the group&s first annual Love Your Body Rally, and members are already planning to have similar rallies every semester.

Kimberly Parish, the vice president of NOW and the event planning committee leader, said the event focused on health and well-being.

&We want to be out here showing people that you don&t have to be Barbie to be attractive,& she said.

With the intent of getting across to all students, representatives from Family Fitness and Mellow Me Out, as well as a Yoga studio and a therapeutic massage company were on hand to offer information and demonstrations. There were also informational tables set up along the quad on issues such as Good Bad Advertisements and Making a Difference, as well as extensive information on Eating Disorders.

&We want to create a sense of unity on campus that all body types are OK,& Parish said. &We all have issues about our body, no matter how attractive you are. There&s always some aspect on your body that you are not happy with.&

The event, which was from noon to 4 p.m., featured live music and a guest speaker. The guest speaker was 72-year-old Kathryne Swain, who spoke on the affects of aging.

Also, games and activities were available, including a belly dancing lesson, a Frisbee game, three legged racing, a hula hoop and jump rope contest.

People were able to get involved in a picture display featuring Sac State students and faculty holding a sign that read, &I Love My Body.&

Many of the students on the picture display were male. Parish was thrilled by the amount of male participants.

&Body image is not just a female problem,& she said. &We definitely did not want to ignore the males. I love the fact that we have had guys out here.&

Parish felt the event was a success and that students learned important information and had a good time.

&People came up and asked questions and we gave them answers,& she said. &They walked away smiling and we&ve gotten the questions answered. They leave with a little more knowledge than when they came and they had fun.&

Jennifer Moore, a board member for Member Outreach of NOW, said the rally was based on an annual rally that the NOW Organization has every year in October. She said Sacramento State&s chapter will have a similar rally in October, as well.

&It teaches people to be healthy and happy,& Moore said. &We&re not just teaching them, we&re showing them how to be healthy and happy.&

NOW meets Tuesdays and Fridays at noon in the Women&s Resource Center in Library 1010. Members need to attend only one meeting each week.

The club was formed during the fall and this spring is the first full semester for the club, Moore said. The group already offers many activities for students, including movies and panel discussions.

&I think we&re doing really well,& Moore said. &We&ve gotten stronger as the semester goes along.&

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Brianna Boyd can be reached at [email protected]