Greek Life Philanthropy Events For Spring 2022

Each semester, Sacred Heart University’s Fraternities and Sororities host events in efforts to raise money, awareness and support of each of their philanthropies. 

Sacred Heart’s sorority philanthropy events this semester include Alpha Delta Pi’s “Dunk a Pi,” Chi Omega’s “Make-a-Wish Madness,” Delta Zeta’s “Sing It for Starkey,” Delta Delta Delta’s “Sincerely Yours,” Kappa Alpha Theta’s “Kicks for Casa,” Kappa Delta’s “Caitlin’s Shamrock the Runway,” Phi Sigma Sigma’s “Princess for a Day” and Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Dodge for a Cure.”

The fraternity philanthropy events include Beta Theta Pi’s Volleyball Tournament, 

Delta Tau Delta’s “White Ribbon Campaign,” Kappa Sigma’s “Haircuts for Heroes,” Pi Kappa Phi’s “Bike-a-Thon,” and Omega Phi Kappa’s event, which is still to be determined.

In addition to these events, Panhellenic Council will hold their annual “Talentless Talent Show.”

Some fraternities and sororities have already hosted their philanthropy event for the spring semester. 

On March 20, Kappa Delta hosted their Annual “Caitlin’s Shamrock The Runway” in efforts to support their philanthropy, Prevent Child Abuse America and their local beneficiary Saint Joseph’s Parenting Center. 

“At our event, we had guest speakers discuss the epidemic of child abuse in America, members from all over campus walk in four different runway categories and had performers showcase their talents in between runway sections,” said sophomore Cara Grill, Kappa Delta’s VP of Events and Programming. “We ended our event by announcing the winners of our 19 baskets from the basket raffle as well as crowning the winners of Mr. and Miss Shamrock.”

Although this event took place in March 2022, Grill has been planning Caitlin’s Shamrock The Runway since November 2021. 

“Because this event is so eclectic and includes so many ways of fundraising and getting campus involved, planning this event became part of my everyday life,” said Grill. “Over winter break, I spent most of my time helping design shirts for the event, reaching out to those who performed in our show and creating endless documents to organize our budget and the logistics of the event.”

Planning these events is not a simple task, and it often requires these organizations to be accommodating to unforeseeable circumstances. 

“Planning this year’s White Ribbon Campaign involved reaching out to various leaders of the Center and the SHU community and seeing if they would speak at our event,” said Junior Joe DeSimone, Delta Tau Delta’s Philanthropy Chairman. “We have been planning this event for over a month, particularly due to complications with having to reschedule due to weather.  However, we were fortunate that many of our speakers were still able to join us on the new date.”

Kathryn Ionta, Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, commends SHU’s organizations for their ability to overcome any new changes or obstacles that come along the way. 

“Since beginning my role at SHU in 2019, I have seen philanthropy events experience normalcy, completely canceled, held at limited capacity both inside and outside, with mask requirements,” said Ionta. “The progress I have seen is that our fraternity men and sorority women accept the immense challenge of pivoting at the last minute and remaining flexible and innovative. I am hopeful to see a semester of wildly successful philanthropy events that are both fun and impactful.”

These events require the outgoing support of the SHU community in order to be impactful. 

“Making connections is a crucial part of planning an event of this magnitude, so my team and I worked tirelessly to strengthen connections with those all throughout FSL and the rest of campus to try to get as many people involved as possible,” said Grill. “One of my many goals of his event was to open it up to as many SHU students as possible. To do this, we reached out to all FSL organizations as well as sports teams and even those not affiliated with any organization to nominate a Mr. and Miss Shamrock nominee.”

These events also serve as an opportunity for organizations to be recognized for their dedication to their philanthropies. 

“Our philanthropy is to raise awareness for sexual assault and domestic violence towards women. The goal of our event was to have various guest speakers talk about their connection to this cause,” said DeSimone. “This year the chapter received recognition from First Selectwoman Brenda L. Kupchick in the form of a proclamation from the town of Fairfield. This document thanked Delta Tau Delta and Sacred Heart for hosting the White Ribbon Campaign event and efforts to reduce violence against women within our community.”

To be a supporter of these philanthropies does not mean you have to be an active member of these organizations. 

“I would encourage every member of the SHU community to support one of the many philanthropy events sponsored each semester,” said Ionta. “Each fraternity or sorority benefits a different philanthropic cause, so find the one that speaks to you. Or, find the event you would most like to participate in.”

If you’re interested in supporting any one of these organizations on campus, follow @shufsl on Instagram, or email Nick Frias, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, friasn@sacredheart.edu. 

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