December is the season for giving. With finals looming, two Greek organizations took time away from the books to raise funds and awareness to two very worthy causes. One event brings home GreekRank Philanthropic event of the month recognition for its uniqueness and actual scope of commitment. The other event simply brought in a ton of cash that’ll go towards an awesome cause.
Freezin’ for a Reason– Alpha Tau Omega at Simpson College
Homelessness is a growing epidemic in our country, and the brothers of Alpha Tau Omega at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa are bringing awareness to the issue.
On December 2nd-3rd, over thirty brothers decided to spend 24 hours outside in the 30-degree weather in the middle of the campus to raise awareness for the local homeless. This is part of the fraternity’s annual event, “Freezin’ for a Reason.” This year’s event raised double the previous years, bringing in $5,249 for Hope Ministries in Des Moines.
Hope Ministires has been helping the homeless since 1915. They have created 110 bed-shelters, along with 102 long-term bed recovery centers for men and 48 for women and mothers. The brothers’ donation will go towards buying food and clothes for the homeless that Hope Ministries serves.
Sponsored by multiple local businesses, the event was no only to raise awareness to the issue of homelessness, but to show unity among the Simpson community.
Songfest – Chi Omega at University of Southern Mississippi
The Chi Omega chatper at University of Southern Mississippi held its 65th annual Songfest on Dec 4th. The proceeds from the event were donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each greek origination on campus performed songs in front of a live audience that included children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year’s event brought in more than $42,000. Delta Gamma won the sorority division with their “Grease” themed performance. Pi Kappa Phi was the fraternity winner with a performance of upbeat Christmas songs.
