Mahati Ganji
“We make living by what we get but we make a life by what we give” - a relevant quote from Winston Churchill, who won a nobel prize for his work in literature. With that quote in mind, my weekend started off with me feeling generous and charitable for my support of multiple philanthropic organizations. Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) and Kappa Sigma fraternities organized their annual fundraising fish fry for Friday, March 3rd – the day of giving. Coincidentally, on the same day, Pi Kappa Phi held their first annual fish fry called the ‘Pi Kappa Phry.’
Being that it was Pi Kappa Phi’s first annual fish fry, they were able to raise about $250 for The Ability Experience. The Ability Experience is their national fraternity’s philanthropy that supports people with disabilities. The Ability Experience, founded in 1977, uses shared experiences to support disabled people and develop members of Pi Kappa Phi into servant and philanthropic leaders. Their vision is to create one community, where the abilities of all people are recognized and valued. Through programs of all kinds the Ability Experience’s four core values – abilities, teamwork, empathy, and integrity, are displayed while serving others. The goal is to benefit people with disabilities and is done by offering several grant opportunities through a number of programs. With the foundation’s values in mind, Pi Kappa Phi aptly named their fundraising event “Ability Week,” which started on March 3rd and ended on March 8th. Pi Kappa Phry was their first event in the 2017 Ability Week. There was all you can eat delicious fried fish, potato fries, pickles, and pink lemonade. It was also said that they would fry anything you brought to the event. The following day, March 4th, their philanthropic efforts continued from 1 pm to 4 pm with the Ability Bash. The Ability Bash was an organized event aimed at spreading and raising awareness about people with disabilities and to help support The Ability Experience. The Ability Bash had a cornhole tournament, washers tournament, foosball tournament, and many other games with cash prizes for winners. The final event, the Fiesta Dinner was held on March 8th and was $5 for all you can eat fajitas!
It is that time of the year, as lent continues and fish is the commonplace for many on Fridays. Many places around Rolla hold their own fish fry, in addition to Pi Kappa Phi’s, and per usual, there was ZTA and Kappa Sigma’s annual fish fry. This was their 13th annual fundraising fish fry and was on Friday, March 3rd at Kappa Sigma’s fraternity house from 4 pm to 8 pm. Each year, they invite the whole Rolla community to take part in the dinner and raffle. The menu consisted of fried fish, mac and cheese, rolls, Coleslaw, and dessert. They raise money for both Kappa Sigma and Zeta Tau Alpha’s national philanthropies – The Military Heroes and Breast Cancer Awareness and Education. The Military Heroes campaign honors and aids thousands of military veterans throughout the United States and Canada. The campaign has donated nearly $500,000 to non-profit organizations who advocate on behalf of servicemen and women and those wounded in combat. The Breast Cancer Awareness and Education program’s goal is increase awareness about early detection and raise funds for education and research. Their trademark theme is ‘Think Pink.’ Typically during the month of October, Zeta Tau Alpha chapters distribute pink ribbons in their communities and campus as the Rolla chapter did in Havener, along with pink lemonade to support their philanthropy. All in all, both organizations worked very hard to raise money for their respective philanthropies.
Being a part of a community that organizes philanthropic events and widely participates in them, provides us an opportunity to show love and kindness towards others in need of support in some form or another. Giving back to help people that serve this country and those who are physically challenged, is a noble deed and helps bring compassion and kindness into our world. Even though we are not directly involved in managing such events, it can be morally satisfying to know that we are able to help others by showing our appreciation towards all their efforts. Making a contribution to show support is a great way to get involved in such benevolent occasions. Big thanks to the organizations, both on campus and off, that constantly make an effort to give back and involve the community in doing so.
