Community Service and Philanthropy 11/1

One of the four pillars of Greek life is Service. Give back to the Lawrence community and support your fellow Greeks by joining in on one of the Community Service or Philanthropic events below! 

1.      Service Opportunities:

 

a.      Kennedy Elementary School-Parent Teacher Conferences: November 9^th (shifts from 3:30pm-7:00pm) & 10^th (shifts from 8:20am-6:20pm). Help elementary students with crafts and other fun activities while their parents meet the teachers. Contact: Christie Van Allen at phacommservice@ku.edu

 

b.      Alternative Spring Breaks: March 17^th-25^th apply by Friday, November 11^th. Volunteer with fellow KU students for different organizations all over the US! Apply online at www.kualternativebreaks.com

 

c.       The Office of Multicultural Affairs presents The Tunnel of Oppresion: November 15^th (shifts from 5:30pm-8:30pm), 16^th (shifts from 10:00am-5:30pm), & 17^th (shifts from 10:00am-5:30pm). You can be a tour guide, actor/actress, set-up/tear down. Contact: Barbara Hillman (b363h874@ku.edu) or Brad Turnbull (bturnbull@ku.edu)

 

d.      CLO’s Midnight Farms near Baldwin City: Volunteer at your convenience to work with individuals with disabilities, help walk horses, etc. Contact: Stephanie Wilson at (785)865-5520 or visit their website at http://www.midnight-farm.org/volunteer2.html

 

2.      Philanthropic Events:

 

a.      Alpha Delta Pi: Support the Armed Forces with donations (food, entertainment, hygiene products, and clothing). November 1^st-December 5^th. Contact: mdryton@ku.edu(more info.)

b.      Sigma Delta Tau and Tau Kappa Epsilon present Have Your Cake and ∑∆T it TOO!: November 15^th & 16^th (Wescoe Beach from 10:00am-2:00pm) and November 16^th (Jayhawk Café from 10:00pm-12:30am). $1 cupcakes and pinwheels. All the proceeds from the event go to Prevent Child Abuse in America.

Panhellenic Association Fights Against Breast Cancer

October has become a month associated with everything pink. Organizations and groups around the nation raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. Being the largest women's organization on the KUcampus, the Panhellenic Association has a unique stake in the health and well-being of women. 

This year, the Panhellenic Association at KU has made a commitment to "Knock Out Breast Cancer" and has teamed up with the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

The American Cancer Society has estimated there will be 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed this year. In order to raise awareness of this fact and many others, the two groups will be setting up tables on campus from Monday, October 17 through Friday, October 21. At these tables, students will find information about breast cancer and how to check for the disease. Students can write and send postcards to their mothers, grandmothers, family members and friends, reminding them to check for breast cancer. There will also be a memorial ribbon wall where students can honor their loved ones who have been affected by breast cancer.

Panhellenic chapters have also participated in three fund raising efforts to support breast cancer research. These efforts culminated in a more than $1,800 donation to the KU Cancer Center and the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Breast Cancer Center.

This year, 12 of the 13 chapters on campus sold a total of 487 breast cancer awareness t-shirts. This figure is about one-third of the total Panhellenic population. Proceeds from these sales totaled $1,500, which will be donated to the KU Cancer Center.

Sororities on campus also bought ribbons to adorn their chapter houses and Jayhawk Boulevard. Eight chapters purchased a total of 30 ribbons. This raised $300 in donations to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Finally, all 13 Panhellenic chapters signed up to host “Pink Hair for Hope” parties at their chapter housing facilities. At these parties, chapter members will be able to purchase pink hair extensions for a $10 donation, benefitting the Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Alpha Delta Pi and the Ronald McDonald House

Spring becomes a busy time for the Panhellenic community because almost every chapter on campus starts to host their own philanthropy event to raise money for their national cause. Alpha Delta Pi held their Race for Ronald, a 5k walk/run with proceeds benefitting the Ronald McDonald house, the morning of April 2 at Hollywood Southwind Theater track in Lawrence.
Their philanthropy coordinator was pleased with this year's turnout and wanted to share their success with the Panhellenic community!

"When I became philanthropy chair of Alpha Delta Pi, I knew I wanted to get involved as well as get the women of my house more involved with our cause. When I walked into the Ronald McDonald House for the first time, I was immediately welcomed into a calm, happy environment. From then on the Ronald McDonald House became a personal mission. My goal was to find a way to help this house become even more comfortable, well- stocked and friendly. More and more girls began volunteering and taking pride in their dedication to the house. On April 2, 2011, we held our 7^th annual Race for Ronald. This is a 5k race followed by a raffle that has become a yearly tradition at Alpha Delta Pi. I had an absolute blast organizing this. The weather was beautiful, we had a lot of wonderful people show up, and the CEO of Ronald McDonald House Topeka spoke a couple words before the race. With over 250 registries, we raised almost 5,000 dollars. With this generous amount of money Alpha Delta Pi and I couldn’t be happier in continuing to support the mission of the Ronald McDonald House." - Lauren Lottino is a freshman Alpha Delta Pi serving as Philanthropy Cordinator

A Tradition of Service

We all know that the University of Kansas is a school of traditions. Our university was founded upon the well-known (and deserved!) "dislike" of our neighbors to the east. KU established some traditions of our own: the waving of the wheat, “Beware of the Phog,” and, my personal favorite, James Naismith's greatest sport of all time --basketball!

Being a member of the Panhellenic community, I am no stranger to tradition. The very pillars that uphold our Greek system are resting upon timeless traditions and practices of service, scholarship, leadership and sisterhood.

Another tradition of KU is Rock Chalk Revue. Although not born at KU (we stole it from K-State and made it better), this annual event has become KU's most creative and philanthropic tradition. Each year paired Greek houses write and produce the annual satirical musical revue as well as fill leadership and fundraising roles.

I personally could not dance or sing in front of one other person, so obviously I would not be able to perform in front of the 5,000 Rock Chalk Revue audience members that have been attending every year for the last 62 years. But I wanted to be a part of this legacy. So I chose to get involved in a different way: I interviewed to be part of the Rock Chalk Revue Advisory Board.

My experience on the Rock Chalk Revue Ad Board as the Alumni Relations Coordinator has opened many doors for me. I was thrown into endless networking possibilities with hundreds of former Rock Chalk Revue alumni. I met new people (the other Ad Boarders) and quickly learned to rely on them to help me complete my position's tasks. We've had a great year! It's hard work, but the entire Rock Chalk Revue Ad Board has witnessed the development of this year's shows from the "theme reveal" night and it's truly amazing how it's turned out!

I wouldn't have had the experience to contribute to such an amazing organization without my Panhellenic involvement. KU is fortunate to have a dynamic group of Panhellenic women to foster community involvement to all women within the 13 Panhellenic chapters. Rock Chalk Revue is just one opportunity to fulfill the pillar of service in the Lawrence community. KU's Panhellenic Association makes it easy to get involved in both the KU community and the Lawrence community.

I was able to learn about my non-dancing opportunity within Rock Chalk Revue through my Panhellenic sisters. Involvement in the community, either philanthropic or social, is rewarding because I know that I use my time to better the lives of those in the same community. My participation in both Rock Chalk Revue and the Panhellenic Association has enabled me to network with alumni and students, build confidence in my communication and leadership ability, and to be a strong part of an exceptional KU tradition!
-- Laura is a senior Kappa Kappa Gamma majoring in Journalism emphasis in Strategic Communications

Upcoming Event: KU Dance Marathon

This year the Panhellenic Association is a proud sponsor of campus philanthropy KU Dance Marathon. Panhellenic women stand for the four pillars of Greek Life, one of those being service. Many Panhellenic women have donated their time to this organization and we wanted to back them in this noble cause.


Tomorrow night Panhellenic women will join hundreds of KU students at the campus rec center for twelve whole hours of dancing fun, in hopes of raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. The event includes activities, food, dancing and a letter writing campaign to solicit more donations. Also, some very special guests will join the more than 400 students signed up for this event. Children and their families who have benefited from Children’s Miracle Network will be dancing alongside the students as a reminder of what this organization can accomplish. The twelve hour marathon is designed to do just that. Students stand for 12 hours in honor of those that can’t and in the hopes that these children will some day be able to stand and even dance along with them.


For the past few months Panhellenic women have been working with other KU students to make this year’s Dance Marathon a success. Dance Marathon is a national philanthropy dedicated to raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. The organization has a presence on more than 100 university campuses nationwide and came to KU in 2007. Since then, the organization has raised more than $50,000 for Children’s Miracle Network and this year they hope to raise an additional $60,000.

Ashley Vega, a junior Kappa Delta has been involved with KU Dance Marathon since 2008. She describes her experience with the organization and what it truly means to serve others.


“Freshmen year I came to KU without knowing about the student organizations on campus or how to get involved. However, through being in a sorority and going to chapter meetings I heard about different opportunities on campus. During one particular chapter meeting my first semester I heard about a great new organization coming to KU called Dance Marathon. I wasn’t exactly sure what Dance Marathon was all about, but I knew that it benefited Children’s Miracle Network and that was something that was particularly close to me.

Children’s Miracle Network is an organization close to my heart because my brother was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. He was in and out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for a while during the beginning stages. Children’s Miracle Network helped give my brother and hundreds of other children the treatment and care they truly deserved and required. Even though Children’s Mercy recently became unaffiliated with Children’s Miracle Network, I still remain a strong supporter of the organization and all the amazing things they have done and will continue to do. 

Since I felt so connected to this charity I decided to take the opportunity to get involved with this organization. I first got involved with KUDM by being on the IT & Media committee. It wasn’t until the night of the actual marathon that I realized KUDM was the organization I wanted to help define my college experience. Being able to interact with the families that we help raise money for is my favorite part of the organization and why I wanted to become more involved. From there my involvement in the organization skyrocketed and I have been on the Steering Committee ever since. The organization itself has made great strides in participation and fundraising since it first started out. KUDM has not only given me the opportunity to work with some of KU’s finest students and staff, but it helped give me the confidence to become involved in other organizations on campus. Being a part of this group let me see that our work and donations really made a difference in the community and the lives of so many people. That feeling makes it worthwhile to become involved and devote so much of your time to a cause.”