Name: Maddie Laurie
Major: Psychology
Minor: Criminal Justice
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Cannon Falls, MN
Activities on campus you are part of: Phi Theta Chi
Her Campus Winona (HC): What is it like to be the Community Service Chair for Phi Theta Chi?
Maddie Laurie: (ML): Difficult at times, but overall it is rewarding. I’ve gotten to get more involved in the community through having this position and that was the entire reason I joined the sorority in the first place. I have gotten to see the impact that we have through the events we have put on this semester and it is always awesome.
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HC: How did you come across the little free pantry?
ML: Another sister brought it up to me over the summer, but I put it on the back burner at first and didn’t do much with it. I realized that we really needed to do a huge project that meant a lot to the sisters and to the community. When I remembered she brought it up to me I started researching more about it.
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HC: What types of things do you have to do to get it up and running?
ML: I am trying to do this project using as little money as possible out of pocket for the sorority. That means that all of the materials I will need for this project will have to be donated to the project. I will also probably end up fundraising for whatever materials cannot be donated. So far, there have been some businesses that are interested in donating materials and I will be working with them to get what we need for it.
HC: When do you ideally want to see it started, and where in Winona do you want it to be?
ML:Â I would like to see it go in before the end of Spring semester. It really is weather dependent as we will have to dig a hole to put it in. I want it to be centrally located so that people who need to access it can. Ideally, that would be somewhere like Wyndham Park or by Winona Health.
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HC: What other goals do you have for this position?
ML: I really want to work on getting our name out in the community. I want people to recognize our name with something good and think of us as the girls who were spreading love and compassion. I want us to do this by continuing to do random acts of kindness and volunteering at events held around town.
HC: What types of activities do you do outside of the sorority?
ML: I work a lot actually, so I don’t do as many activities as I would like to. I was just hired at St. Stans to work with the 6th grade speech team which is something I am very passionate about. I also work at the YMCA and Caribou here in town, as well as at Security on campus.
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It’s amazing to see someone so dedicated to helping the community and making it a better place. Maddie Laurie is doing just that with her project and we can’t wait to see how it turns out. Good luck, Maddie!