This weekend, Alpha Chi Omega is living up to their commitment of spreading prevention and awareness for domestic violence, their national philanthropy. All the Alpha Chi Omega chapters share this value, but the one here at the University of Utah mainly supports the women and men in our local community.
Alpha Chi Omega supports the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition by holding two fundraisers every semester. Their largest and 3rd annual, Walk a Mile In Her Shoes is coming up this Saturday, October 1st. Start Domestic Violence Awareness Month off right by attending this event, walk in some fun heels, and learn a little more about Domestic Violence in your community and how to help! This event costs $6 which gets you entry, food, and games. In case you can’t attend this event, another one, “A Cup of Joe with A-Chi-O,” is Monday, October 3rd. For $3 you can eat and drink an unlimited amount of coffee and pancakes, all while knowing that you donated some money to a great cause.
In addition to throwing these events, Alpha Chi Omega also requires their members to volunteer at least 10 hours of their time every semester. Many members go above and beyond this requirement, though, and have volunteered at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Best Buddies, local Elementary Schools, and the YWCA, just to name a few. Member Saige Hawkins told Her Campus she loves that her chapter requires this because it encourages her to reach out from her normal life and give back to the community. Because of it, she has been able to volunteer at the Neighborhood House, which has increased her knowledge on poverty in her city, and how she can help.
While many members expressed an undying love for their chapter’s philanthropy events and how they spend their service hours, one member pointed out that her favorite thing her chapter has done this year is support a BYU student in her fight against rape culture at her University. “It was the coolest thing to hear one chapter member propose that we should make a goodie basket for this girl and by the next week, ten plus notes had been written, a paddle had been made, and the basket was ready to be shipped off,” one member said of the event. The Beta Nu Chapter was nationally recognized for this kind act by the Huffington Post and Total Sorority Move, and while they were beyond excited for the honor of being recognized, it didn’t matter to them nearly as much as the reaction the chapter got from the BYU student after receiving the package.
Alpha Chi Omega’s Vice President of Philanthropy, Hunter Howe, adores being in charge of all the events, member’s service hours, and leading these efforts to support local women and men who may be survivors of these horrible situations. She can’t wait for Saturday’s Walk a Mile and hope’s to see you all there!
We are so proud to call these women members of our community at the University of Utah and can’t wait to watch their event be an amazing success!