When Megan Arthur heard about PACE Center for Girls, an organization that aims to better the lives and education of young women, from Her Campus, she got involved and encouraged her sorority sisters to do the same.
The local center recently held a supply drive, requesting various items, including paper and hygiene products, non-perishable snacks, school supplies, accessories, and makeup. Arthur, 19, said she and Chi Omega helped collect more listed items for the drive than any other participating group.
She said she enjoyed helping the specific cause to “support girls and enable them to realize their self-worth so that they may grow into strong women,” but the middle- and high-school aged girls are not the only ones impacted.
“Not only do we get to enjoy the rewards of a better society, but we also have the satisfaction of knowing that we may have improved someone else’s life,” the family, youth, and community sciences sophomore said. “Life is a ripple effect, so we might as well make those ripples positive.”
Arthur has been involved with community service since high school, she said, during which time she was the president of two service clubs. When she returns home, she participates in activities those clubs hold, including beach cleanups, volunteering at the homeless shelter, and working with elementary schools to teach them about giving back to the community at an early age.
Recently, she has been a staff member for Gators March for Babies, a captain for Project Makeover, and a member of To Write Love on Her Arms. And on the weekdays, she is a nanny.
In the spring, Arthur’s sorority hosts a philanthropy called Sandblast, a beach volleyball tournament to benefit Make-a-Wish Foundation. Chi Omega’s fundraising efforts are more successful each year, she said, so she is excited for next semester. Until then, she said she and Chi Omega participate in other chapters’ philanthropies.
Arthur said she gives back to the community because its rewards are twofold. Knowing someone else has directly benefitted from her generosity makes her feel good about contributing to something bigger than herself, she said.
“We are the community,” she said. “What we put into something is what we get back.”