Santa’s “Greek” Helpers Spread Holiday Cheer

Around Campus Editor

  
   Several University of Arkansas-Monticello Greek organizations played “Santa’s Helpers” this year and exhibited the giving spirit this holiday season.

   Tau Kappa Epsilon, Phi Lambda Chi, Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Sigma Sigma hosted their fund raisers this holiday season to raise money for children in medical facilities, children’s homes or shelters.

   The Tau Kappa Epsilon brothers hosted the festival of the stars program on the UAM campus to raise money for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The program focuses on all Greek fraternities and sororities on campus gathering items on a wish list, which the hospital formed for the children. The organizations compete against each other to see who can gather the most items. TKE hosted the event in the past, but this is the first year to have all of the Greek organizations participate.

   “All toys are going to the children,” Brad Hodges, of TKE, said. “Arkansas Children’s Hospital is our local philanthropy. Next week during the competition, the Greek organization with the most items collected will be able to donate the items in their Greeks name and earn Greek points toward favorite Fraternity/Sorority at the end of the year.”

   Alpha Phi Alpha added to the spirit of giving by hosting a can food drive. The group normally donates about 200 cans, but hope to collect 300 cans this year. They will also be donating toys to the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

   When asked what inspired them to this action, Alpha president Troy Dillard made this statement:

   “Our inspiration for all the events and community service we do stem from our fraternity's goal of transcending our community, for constant upward movement through contentment, to prosperities. We are glad to help those less fortunate because without the aid of common people, our communities will constantly be plagued with the shackles of cyclic poverty, physically, economically and psychologically. If strife does not take a break, can humane actions?”

   The Alphas will also be giving away a scholarship for the first time this spring semester, which they say they are very excited about doing. 

  The Phi Lambs will be donating toys to the Arkansas Baptist Children’s home in Monticello in addition to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The Phi Lambs placed boxes around UAM campus and will try to collect toys for the children. They started this fund raiser 6 years-ago.

   “We’re doing this because there are a lot of kids who don’t have families and don’t have a good Christmas like us,” Glenn Beer, president of the Phi Lambs, said. “That to me was my inspiration for doing this fund raiser.”

   If anyone would like to donate, contact a Phi Lambda Chi member or place a toy in one of the boxes set up around campus.

   Sigma Sigma Sigma will be participating in two events this year. The annual canned Christmas tree and decorating the Center for Youth and Families in Monticello.

    “The shelter is in town and we decorate and help the kids out. The shelter just opened up and it’s for troubled kids,” Vice President Holly Beard said. “We’ve already done decorating for Halloween, we will have a thanksgiving dinner with them and after that we will start decorating for Christmas. We like to get involved with the shelter and it’s been amazing.”

   Most of the fund raisers, most notably the Festival of the Stars, have already started and will continue until Christmas Break.

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