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FIJI
Philanthropy
Zeta Chapter, Phi Gamma Delta
Indiana University
Yet another life-enriching area emphasized at
Phi Gamma Delta is philanthropy work. The Fiji name is well known not only to
I.U. students, but also throughout Bloomington for its many efforts to give back
to the community in which we live. Philanthropic work not only helps those in
need, but also gives an individual a great feeling about himself, as he knows he
is doing something for others. This work instills kindness and generosity; two
outstanding qualities attributed to a well-rounded man
Philanthropy has been an area of focus for the men at Fiji
over the last year. Some highlights include: nearly 30 brothers volunteering for
the Hoosiers Outrun Cancer, over 20 brothers running in the Jill Behrman 5K, and
over 10 men participating in the Kappa 5K benefiting the Outreach Kenya program.
The men of Zeta were not limited to just 5k’s though. Fiji sponsored 2 teams
in the Chi-Omega golf classic, with one team even the winning best dressed
award. We also had over 20 volunteers working at the Monroe County Humane
Associations “Walk for the Animals,” benefiting MCHS. Fiji also took part in
IFC’s “week of caring,” which fraternities and sororities participate in
events set up all week, and the organization with the most man-hours logged gets
an award. This year we prepared food baskets for the needy and put together a
haunted house during the “week of caring.” Zeta had a great turnout at all
our events and was able to bring home the award with nearly double the hours of
the next closest organization.
This year at Zeta we also had two large philanthropies
raising significant funds for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. The
IU Dance Marathon is an event that took place in the fall of 2003, which was not
a Fiji sponsored event, however, the men of Zeta contributed immensely to its
success. FIJI had 70% of the house involved in last year’s marathon, including
27 dancers, over 30 chairmen, five volunteers and nine men on the executive
council who worked all year long to help raise over $403,000 for the Children at
Riley, making it the 3 rd largest entirely student-run philanthropy organization
in the country, as well as the largest student-run organization on campus. As a
house, we were also able to raise just over $43,000, the highest of any
organization on campus. In recognition of our efforts, we received the Hope
Award given to the organization which shows the most effort and enthusiasm for
Dance Marathon.
The second major event was the first annual 3 on 3
basketball Tournament held in the spring with the sorority Gamma Phi Beta. With
33 teams participating, over $3,500 was raised to benefit the to benefit the
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington and to Riley Hospital for Children.
The commitment to philanthropy is very apparent with the
men of Zeta. It is a point of the star taken very seriously at this chapter and
we hope to further our progress every year in an effort to provide as much as
possible not only to help others in need, but also provide fulfillment that
every young man should experience.
For More Information, please visit Dance Marathon’s
Website at www.iudm.org to see the great
impact the Zeta Chapter is having on this campus. If you are interested at all
in becoming a sponsor or helping out with any of our philanthropic activities,
please email the president at president@zetafiji.com
Phi Gams on Next Year’s Executive Board:
Brandon Ehrhardt - Vice President of Finance
RJ Clouse - Vice President of Internal Relations
Casey Crouse - Vice President of External Relations
Adam Ayres - Director of Morale
JD Allardt - Director of Operations
Brad Armour - Director of Corporate Relations
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