Chi Omega: Wish Week
Throughout the year, it is exciting to see how numerous organizations come together and spread awareness across campus for great causes and their respective philanthropies. As the fall semester has progressed, it has been fun to see the different philanthropy weeks that the Panhellenic sororities on campus have hosted. Two of the weeks I previously reported on were Kappa Delta’s Shamrock Week in September, and Zeta Tau Alpha’s Pink Week in October. As November began, Chi Omega used the first week of the month to host their Wish Week.
To understand the impact and events of Wish Week, it is important to understand what Chi Omega’s philanthropy is and the purpose of it. Chi Omega's National philanthropy is the Make-A-Wish Foundation; this foundation is known for bringing wishes to life for children with critical illnesses. During their Wish Week, Chi Omega spent six consecutive days dedicating their time to hosting events to both raise awareness and fundraise for this philanthropy. In past years, the Eta Kappa chapter has been able to use these fun events to raise an average of $3,000 for their philanthropy. However, last year, Chi Omega was able to raise almost $5,000. The week proved successful, and this November, they were excited to yet again increase donations and raise over $5000.
Like many philanthropy weeks, Chi Omega kicked off Wish Week on Monday with Cards for Kids. During this impactful event, students across campus were encouraged to go to the Havener Center and write words of encouragement in cards for kids in the Make-A-Wish program. On Tuesday, members of Chi Omega could be found on campus handing out free bags of popcorn to students and using this act of kindness to promote the importance of their philanthropy. One of the unique events they held was on Wednesday when they set up Swishes for Wishes in Havener. During this tournament, students had the opportunity to shoot some hoops with mini basketballs; at the end of the day, the person who made the most baskets in a minute won up to a thirty-dollar parking ticket violation exemption. On Thursday, the Eta Kappa chapter decided to raise awareness through Coco with Chi O where they handed out free hot chocolate to students suffering from the cold. Continuing the beloved food and beverage theme, Chi Omega held a bake sale on Friday where they sold delicious baked goods on a donation basis.
On Saturday, the entire Chi Omega house came together to continue the fundraising streak with their notorious ChiHop event. Those who bought tickets were able to show up to the house and eat unlimited pancakes. As if this wasn’t incentive enough to partake in this rewarding event, they also provided starbucks coffee, juice, and a pancake topping bar featuring different syrup flavors. When asked what her favorite part of Wish Week was, Elizabeth Hoffer, Chi Omega’s Make-A-Wish chair, responded, “Wish Week was crazy in the most fantastic way. I think the most fun part was either Swishes 4 Wishes, the basketball tournament, or the day of ChiHop because we had crayons at all the tables. We dressed the tables with brown paper material, and everyone had a blast drawing on the tables while they ate fresh pancakes! At the end of the day, it was incredible to see all the different doodles. We had different organizations make their mark, like other sororities or fraternities, design teams, and just plain individuals! It was great.”
