Fast Facts:
Hometown: Martinsville, Indiana
Major: Political Science Major, History Minor
Greek affiliation: Alpha Phi
Favorite “hidden treasure” in Greencastle: The various gorgeous Covered Bridges around Greencastle and Putnam County
Her Campus: What organizations are you involved in on campus? What positions do you hold?
Amelia Marvel: In Alpha Phi, I used to be the Vice President of Campus Affairs and now I’m one of the New Member Educators. I’m Director of Service and Philanthropy for the Panhellenic Council. I am also a part of Student Friend and Order of Omega.
HC: You were one of the heads of the Special Olympics this year. How did you get involved with that, and what was your role?
AM: The Special Olympics are the Panhellenic Council’s Philanthropy. Due to my position as Director of Service and Philanthropy for the Panhellenic Council, it was my responsibility to take on the event. I was responsible for finding volunteers to cheer on the athletes, work the registration and souvenir tables, and set up and clean up the event. I was also in charge of planning the Opening Ceremonies Saturday afternoon and the After Party Saturday evening.
HC: What went into the planning of the Special Olympics?
AM: I started planning for the event right when I returned on campus for spring semester. It included a good amount of meetings and emails with philanthropy chairs from each house as well as the speakers and performers for the Opening Ceremonies. I also communicated in some way, either face to face or through email, almost daily with the rep from Special Olympics during the months leading up to the event. I also went out to local businesses asking for donations and support from the Greencastle community and spent a lot of time preparing to entertain and feed 350 athletes and coaches. My job was basically to make sure the athletes enjoyed themselves during the 2-day tournament, rather than all the logistics behind the tournament, which Special Olympics took care of.
HC: What were the challenges you encountered?
AM: The biggest challenge I faced were the abundance of formals and informals the weekend of the event. Due to three of the six sororities having events, the amount of people who could attend and cheer on the athletes was limited.
HC: What are your favorite things about the Special Olympics?
AM: My absolute favorite thing about Special Olympics is the athletes’ interaction with the students. Multiple athletes (all girls, since it was an all female tournament) came up to me asking if a specific student was there because she had remembered him/her from the previous year. They really do remember this particular event year after year due to their interactions with the students. It is the only event/ tournament they attend where they are more focused on what is going on around them and who is cheering for them, rather than how they are playing on the court. That is something special.
HC: How was the turn out? Do you see a lot of support from the student body?
AM: The turn out was great. I was really worried about attendance at the event due to formals/informal and midterms, but the student body really came out to support! Sunday had significantly fewer volunteers, but Saturday’s attendance was incredible. The students really became involved in the event and the athletes had a great time!
HC: Do you plan on being involved in them next year, and what growth do you hope to see?
AM: I will no longer be the Director of Service and Philanthropy during next year’s event, but I am planning on meeting with the Special Olympics representative after Spring Break to discuss how to make the event better next year. I hope that more and more volunteers will show up each year!