When walking to classes, students at the University of Illinois often see posters, chalk drawings on the sidewalks and brightly decorated tables set up on the quad. All of this means one thing: it is philanthropy season for the Greek community on campus. This fall there are numerous charitable events that are being hosted by sororities and fraternities, so with many different activities going on, students are encouraged by those involved to make the most out of this time.
Part of making the most out of philanthropy season comes from knowing that philanthropies put on by sororities and fraternities are not just typical volunteering.
“It’s so much better than asking for donations at a table,” said freshman Annie Hutchinson, “You’re actually doing something.”
Some of the events include sports competitions, meals and selling items such as baked goods which all go toward benefiting the chosen charity of each house.
There are also several unique events that sororities and fraternities have created that benefit their chosen charity. Alpha Omicrom Pi hosted their philanthropy, Mud Olympics, in early October. According to the Alpha Omicrom Pi website, ” … This year, fraternities, sororities, and other campus groups will gather together to ‘get down and dirty for a great cause!’ Each team of 8 will be led by two AOII’s and compete in games such as: tug of war, dodge ball and human bowling.” These mud-designed activities benefit Camp Kasem, a camp for children who have family members with terminal cancer. The camp allows for the kids to get their minds off of the troubles that they may be experiencing at home.
“It’s not a cookie cutter volunteer experience,” said freshman Katherine Luby. “It is very engaging and fulfilling.”
Even while it may seem that such fun events would steal focus from funding the charities, both sororities and fraternities seek to keep a large focus on those whom they are trying to benefit.
“They do a lot of work to remind people what it is for with having information on shirts and posters,”” said Hutchinson. “It’s so much fun but there is still a focus on the charity.”
Hutchinson is a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, which held their Pi Phi Sugar High Philanthropy on October 8, where for a $5 admission, students could eat as many sweets as they wanted. Pi Beta Phi’s main charity is the Read, Lead, Achieve program, which promotes reading among young children. Later in the year they will be donating books to the organization.
As the season continues, members of the Greek system will continue to promote for their philanthropic events. These charities will not only benefit people on campus, but will help others across the globe.
Photo sources:
http://www.illinoisaoii.net/philanthropy.html