The Associated Students of Colorado State University Department of Basic Needs hosted its second annual Wellness Wonderland Feb 6 in the Lory Student Center Ballrooms. The event featured guest speaker Shayna Lentz and provided attendees with a wide range of basic needs resources, including emotional support alpacas.
While the previous Wellness Wonderland was largely CSU-focused, event cofounder and CSU student Evan Achebe said this year’s Wellness Wonderland expanded to invite resources from off-campus and around Northern Colorado.
“CSU only advertises a lot at the very beginning of the freshman year,” Achebe said. “Past that, it’s like, what do you do if you’re an off-campus student, an international student or a commuter? How much do you really know about what’s going on?”
Attending groups included the Colorado Women’s Center, National Alliance on Mental Illness, FoCo Cafe, SummitStone Health Partners, End Overdose at CSU, the CSU Health Network, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the Survivor Advocacy and Foundational Education Center and Emergency Medical Services Club, among others.
ASCSU Deputy Director of Basic Needs Laura Bussard helped coordinate the alpacas’ appearance, which was courtesy of the locally owned farm Sunrise Silhouettes.
“I really like to focus on animal connection,” Bussard said. “In college, people come from homes with their dog or their cat, and then they come to college and it could be really hard (when animal connection) is very overlooked. … I’m a big advocate for bringing animals on to campus and giving students access to them so that they can have that because it’s such a good way to feel seen.”
While the crowd fed and pet alpacas, Bussard handed out raffle bingo cards tied to booths at Wellness Wonderland. A QR code was featured on the back of the bingo cards to collect data on any new, helpful websites students had found. Data from the survey goes toward a website that Achebe is curating to highlight basic needs resources like those at the event.
Lentz, a member of the Board of Directors at nonprofit food rescue Vindeket Foods, highlighted in her speech how the organization’s mission promotes wellness by preventing food waste. She said Vindeket had about 170,000 market trips and saved over 2 million pounds of food in 2025, adding that 40% of food produced in the U.S. goes to waste.
“It’s ownership of the food cycle, restoring our Earth and then also bringing the community into it,” Lentz said. “What we’re really proud of at Vindeket is the idea that everyone is involved in the same mission. So whether you’re coming to volunteer, whether you’re coming to shop at our markets, it’s all about rescuing food.”
Larimer County’s affiliate of NAMI, a nonprofit that aims to provide support and educational resources for people who experience mental illness, was represented by member Carol Roberts.
“Unfortunately there’s no magic pill to cure mental illness, so it’s kind of a lifelong thing for both the person with the illness and the family members and the community,” Roberts said.
End Overdose at CSU was represented by Danielle Bonesteel, vice president of the chapter, at a table providing fentanyl tests, naloxone and stickers featuring the group’s mascot. Bonesteel said the group often tables at raves and EDM events.
“I got into this organization because I love the community,” Bonesteel said. “Nightlife has gotten me out of my shell a lot, and this is my way of giving back to the nightlife and keeping it safe.”
Familiar campus cornerstones like CSU Health Network and the Office of Inclusive Excellence promoted their wide range of services for physical health, mental health, sexual health and substance use resources. The SAFE Center provided hygienic resources such as menstrual products, hair ties and deodorant, while the Pride Resource Center’s Lavender Cabinet provided gender-affirming supplies.
CSU student Eleanor Hagberry said she learned about campus clubs like the Emergency Medical Services Club, which drew her attention as someone who wants to become an EMT.
Mallory Horning, a therapist with Colorado Women’s Center, promoted the center’s empowerment-based therapy approach.
“We have been trying to tap into CSU for a while now, just because we already get a lot of students that come through,” Horning said. “(We) just (want) to make ourselves a little bit more known on campus.”
Reach Chloe Rios at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
