Each of our organizations has a philanthropy that’s close to our hearts. But at Kent State University in Ohio, the Greek system has discovered they can do their best fundraising when they all come together.
This year’s Songfest, hosted by Fraternity and Sorority Life, raised $56,000 for the King Kennedy Community Center, which “provides organized recreational programs for both the elderly and the young, promotes cultural awareness, enhances individual self-worth and encourages self-growth,” according to a statement from Kent State. This breaks the previous Songfest record from 2013, when $49,027 was raised for RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).
And this wasn’t your usual Songfest – instead of “random” performances, the skits and musical numbers performed by fraternity and sorority teams had a purpose: each one explained the work done by the King Kennedy Community Center, educating the nearly 1,500 people in attendance about the program and how they could get involved.
Being able to get directly involved with the organization the event benefited was a big part of its success, according to Keri Richmond, the vice president of philanthropy and community service for the Panhellenic Council. “Working with a local organization was incredible because we had the opportunity to meet some of the amazing people we were helping.”
Songfest may be the Greek Life’s biggest philanthropic event of the year, but it’s certainly not the only one; according to the statement from the university, “The community donates nearly 30,000 service hours annually and fundraises more than $360,000 for local and national organizations each year.”
And university officials are taking notice. Della Marie Marshall, senior associate director of the Center for Student Involvement at Kent State, said, “Kent State Fraternity and Sorority Life outdid themselves this year. I’m so proud of not only their fundraising efforts, but also how they connected with the families of the King Kennedy Center.”
Good job, guys..
[via Kent State]
Image via Youtube