Not sure what to wear on Friday, October 12th? Wear BLUE! Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), one of the nine Panhellenic sororities at USF is going BLUE for World Arthritis Day. All you have to do is wear blue and spread the word! Take photos of yourself this Friday of you and/or your friends showing your support. Then, post the picture to Facebook.com/AOIIUSF or TWEET it to @AOIIatUSF with the hashtag #AOIIGOESBLUE.
“AOII Goes Blue” is an international (US & Canada!) effort to raise awareness for arthritis. There is currently no cure for arthritis, but awareness can make the world one step closer. While all support is for the Arthritis Foundation, AOII has a special focus on juvenile arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, juvenile arthritis is one of the most common childhood diseases in the United States and the cause is unknown. Also, the foundation notes that around 294,000 children under the age of 18 are affected by Arthritis.
AOII takes their philanthropy close to heart because it does not receive a lot of support. In fact, if it were not for AOII, the Arthritis Foundation would not exist. This fall, the USF AOII chapter will be hosting their 2nd Alpha Male pageant – an AOII themed male pageant, in which all funds raised go to the Arthritis Foundation. You can contact the philanthropy chair, Kathy Vasquez at lopezvasquez@mail.usf.edu for information on the event if you are in an organization that would like to participate, sponsor or support.
Kickin’ it – a kick ball tournament for arthritis is a long-standing tradition and takes place in the spring.
Beka Nelson, a sister of AOII at USF, was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis when she was nine years old. “I had dreams of being the goalie for the USA Olympic women’s team, but once I was diagnosed with arthritis that dream slowly faded away. Growing up with arthritis was a challenging experience. Not only did it affect me physically, but also emotionally,” says Nelson. Through the support of AOII, Beka has found support in multiple ways.
Beka admits she would have been to self-conscious in the past to wear blue and explain, but now looks forward to sharing this day with others. Now, Beka says, “We are making a difference, each and every one of us. Whether it is wearing blue, raising awareness, or collecting money for the Arthritis Foundation, it is the small things in life that mean the most. Every little bit helps and I know that physically I may be hurting but now emotionally I can finally say, that with the help of AOII and the support I know I have from them as well with my family, that I am not hurting anymore.”
This chapter has raised over $10,000 in the past and can raise even more with your help. The chapter wants to support their own chapter sister, sisters around the nation and anybody who is or can ever be affected by Arthritis. Any philanthropic success begins with awareness, so find your favorite blue shirt and get ready to GO BLUE on Friday October 12th!
More information on the Arthritis Foundation can be found at http://www.arthritis.org/.