First-year students Jack Kucinski and Rachel Hodges are bringing Disney Club to campus in February. Credit: Olivia Balcerzak | Lantern Reporter

Most kids dream about going to a Disney park at least once in their life. For Jack Kucinski, that dream has become a reality more than 20 times, starting when he was just 1 year old.

A first-year in molecular genetics, Kucinski moved to Ohio from Michigan to attend Ohio State, but was underwhelmed by the lack of Disney represented at the student involvement fair — so he took action.

“I decided that I need to make more friends and this campus needs a Disney club, so I’ll do it myself,” Kucinski said.

The Happiest Club on Campus: A Disney-themed Club, is set to have its first official meeting in February. Kucinski said the main goal is to have fun with the group.

“You get to meet people, with Disney as the foundation,” he said. “In the meetings we could do Disney activities like play Disney jeopardy, Disney Family Feud, just Disney games focused on having fun.”

Club treasurer Rachel Hodges, a first-year in exploration, said one reason to attend club meetings is to relive childhood memories.

“Tap into your childhood when you’re trying to be an adult,” she said.

Hodges said they also plan to host occasional movie nights that will feature a wide range of old and new Disney films.

“I’m all about Disney princesses, but we also want to appeal to the people who like Star Wars and Disney Pixar, just stuff that Disney owns,” she said.

The Walt Disney Company has grown immensely since its creation in 1923. It now ranks the 8th most valuable brand in the world, according to Forbes. Kucinski said the growth benefits the club, giving it plenty to cover.

“I think the best part about Disney is that there’s so much of it, like for each meeting, we can do whatever we want,” he said. “So one meeting we (might) say, ‘We’re just going to do Marvel trivia, if you want to show up, cool’ or Star Wars, or you can cover anything you want.”

In order to give everyone a say in their Disney preferences, Hodges said the club will run as a collaboration effort, with minimal official leadership roles.

“The unique thing that we’re hoping to do is that we’re not going to have leadership,” Hodges said. “We’re going to have a bunch of people who are going to give us their ideas.”

Kucinski and Hodges said they have been working on getting the word out. For Kucinski, this started by announcing his idea in a lecture hall that holds 150 people back in October.

“(Kucinski) left his email on the board and said, ‘If anybody is interested in a Disney club, here’s my email. Email me,” Hodges said.

Since then, the organization has stuck to more traditional forms of advertising, such as using an email list and hanging up posters in residence halls. The group also plans to set up a booth at the Spring Involvement Fair on Thursday.

The club will have its first meeting Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. in room 002 in Lazenby Hall.