Spotlight
Summer 2007 Back to Spotlight home page
Sleepless nights for a good cause
by Miranda Davis (BFA 2007)
College life is full of experiences, challenges and opportunities. Students are accustomed
to spending long nights studying or enjoying time with friends, but this fall at Emporia State, students will be spending one sleepless night a little differently. Greek students at ESU will join more than 200 colleges nationwide and stay “Up ‘til Dawn” to help find a cure for cancer and support the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“‘Up ‘til Dawn’ is coming to Emporia State in hopes of bringing the community and the university together to work for one cause,” said Natalie Skaggs, Panhellenic Association’s philanthropic chair and event organizer.“By bringing ‘Up ‘til Dawn’ to ESU, I hope students and the community will have a better understanding of what St. Jude’s does for the families of children with cancer. Many do not know that it costs $1 million a day to run the hospital.”
Greek chapters at ESU have a tradition of community service and philanthropy, earning money to donate to local and national causes. Fraternities and sororities will often team up for a joint effort, but never before have all the chapters joined forces.
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| Members of the Greek community at ESU, like Megan Teeter, Caldwell, and Kurt Neis, Gardner, are always looking to lend a hand. During Greek Week, the fraternities and sororities raised $1,183 for the Emporia Animal Shelter. Teeter and Neis donated the funds on behalf of the chapters and took some time out to play with puppies. |
“I am thrilled to have such a wonderful school as
Emporia State University and such a dynamic community
as Emporia on-board to join in the fight to cure cancer and
other catastrophic diseases in children,” said Nikki Perry
Leonard, event marketing representative
for St. Jude’s Research Hospital. “Families
never receive a bill for treatment rendered
at St. Jude and families without insurance
are never asked to pay. That is why it is
vitally important to continuously have
fundraisers such as Up ‘til Dawn to fund
the life-saving research and treatment at
St. Jude.”
The student-led “Up ‘til Dawn”
extravaganza will begin with various
fundraising efforts. A common program
is the letter-writing party, where Greek
students send donation forms to their
family and friends. After all the letters and
fundraising, students will celebrate their
success by staying “Up ‘til Dawn” and
honoring St. Jude’s patients.
Giving back to the community is one of
the many things Greeks strive to do. But it’s
more than just writing a check, collecting
donations, and showing up at events. It is
about the importance of reaching out to
someone and making a difference.
“It is important for Greeks to give back
to the community because they always do what they
can to help the ESU students and Greek life. We should
take part in every opportunity we can to give back to
them,” said Skaggs. “It puts out a good word for Emporia
State and Greek life, and leaves you feeling a sense of
accomplishment.”
Skaggs and other Greeks are grateful for the
community’s support. Scholarship donations, for
instance, allow students the time to become involved in
activities on campus – and when students are given the
gift of time, they can give the gift of service. The ESU
Greek community donates thousands of service hours
every year. With the St. Jude project, their contributions
will touch lives around the world.
“St. Jude treats patients from every community,”
Perry Leonard said. “There are patients from all over the
state of Kansas who have been treated at St. Jude and
who continue to go back for regular check-ups. Also, St.
Jude is committed to freely sharing all research findings
with the medical community. Hospitals in Kansas and
across the world use treatment protocols developed at
St. Jude, meaning that one life saved at St. Jude means
thousands saved elsewhere.”
Greek community service and philanthropy at Emporia State University
Alpha Kappa Alpha
- Christmas in the City and computer technology training session at Deer Creek Community Center, Topeka; adopted two Emporia families for Christmas; Valentine's Party for Santa Fe Place senior citizens
Alpha Kappa Lambda
- These Hands Don’t Hurt – SOS Women’s Shelter
Alpha Sigma Alpha
- Raised $3,000 for SOS, CECE and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, teaming with Sigma Phi Epsilon for Teeter-Totter-A-Thon
- SOS and Can Tuesday, collect and donate canned goods and hygiene products for Salvation Army and SOS
Chi Omega
- Participates in Relay for Life as a top donator, raised $3,500
- Hosted a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with Sigma Tau Gamma, raising $700 for United Way of the Flint Hills
Phi Delta Theta
- 20th annual Pole-Sit raised $4,000 for SOS Crisis Center
Sigma Phi Epsilon
- Raised money through the Teeter-Totter-A-Thon, teaming up with Alpha Sigma Alpha; Big Brothers Big Sisters hayrack ride and more; Special Olympics
Sigma Pi
- Bike-athon for Big Brothers Big Sisters; "Ace of Spades" Sam Spady alcohol awareness
Sigma Sigma Sigma
- Raised $1,200 for Emporia Public Library children’s literacy program and Compeer, teaming with Sigma Tau Gamma
Sigma Tau Gamma
- Snoball Softball Tournament, raised $2,900 for Emporia Public Library children’s literacy program
Beta Lambda Alpha
- Fundraising for Heifer Project; pen pal program with Emporia's Riverside Elementary; docents at exhibition for Hurricane Katrina photographer
Last Updated April 17, 2008