Name: Maddie Laurie
Major: Psychology
Minor: Criminal Justice
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Cannon Falls, MN
Activities on campus you are part of: Phi Theta Chi
Her Campus Winona (HC): What is it like to be the Community Service Chair for Phi Theta Chi?
Maddie Laurie: (ML): Difficult at times, but overall it is rewarding. I’ve gotten to get more involved in the community through having this position and that was the entire reason I joined the sorority in the first place. I have gotten to see the impact that we have through the events we have put on this semester and it is always awesome.
HC: How did you come across the little free pantry?
ML: Another sister brought it up to me over the summer, but I put it on the back burner at first and didn’t do much with it. I realized that we really needed to do a huge project that meant a lot to the sisters and to the community. When I remembered she brought it up to me I started researching more about it.
HC: What types of things do you have to do to get it up and running?
ML: I am trying to do this project using as little money as possible out of pocket for the sorority. That means that all of the materials I will need for this project will have to be donated to the project. I will also probably end up fundraising for whatever materials cannot be donated. So far, there have been some businesses that are interested in donating materials and I will be working with them to get what we need for it.
HC: When do you ideally want to see it started, and where in Winona do you want it to be?
ML: I would like to see it go in before the end of Spring semester. It really is weather dependent as we will have to dig a hole to put it in. I want it to be centrally located so that people who need to access it can. Ideally, that would be somewhere like Wyndham Park or by Winona Health.
HC: What other goals do you have for this position?
ML: I really want to work on getting our name out in the community. I want people to recognize our name with something good and think of us as the girls who were spreading love and compassion. I want us to do this by continuing to do random acts of kindness and volunteering at events held around town.
HC: What types of activities do you do outside of the sorority?
ML: I work a lot actually, so I don’t do as many activities as I would like to. I was just hired at St. Stans to work with the 6th grade speech team which is something I am very passionate about. I also work at the YMCA and Caribou here in town, as well as at Security on campus.
It’s amazing to see someone so dedicated to helping the community and making it a better place. Maddie Laurie is doing just that with her project and we can’t wait to see how it turns out. Good luck, Maddie!