Last Saturday, May 5, my sorority hosted our annual philanthropic event: Anchor Slam! Anchor Slam is a 3 v. 3 basketball tournament open to the UChicago community, and students can play on teams with their Houses, their student organizations (RSOs), their Greek organizations, or just with their friends. Students can also face off in a halftime dance competition, a half-court shot contest, and a game of knockout. All of these fun components have one common goal of raising funds and awareness for Service for Sight and The Delta Gamma Foundation. Service for Sight has been Delta Gamma’s national philanthropy since 1936, and each year, Delta Gammas across the country volunteer their time to assist those who are blind and visually impaired. This year, we raised over $22,000!
Philanthropy and community service are some of my favorite aspects of Greek life. Each quarter, my sisters and I volunteer with organizations and nonprofits around Chicago that support Delta Gamma’s mission. In the past, we have helped conduct eye exams at the Princeton Eye Clinic for Chicago Public School students, worked at the Chicago Lighthouse, an organization serving the blind and visually impaired, and volunteered with Eversight Illinois, a leading national eye bank. Throughout the year, we host smaller philanthropy events in addition to Anchor Slam, including Sweet Paradise, where we sell and deliver baked goods to UChicago students during midterms.
Across the UChicago Greek community, philanthropy is one of the most important aspects of each organization. Each year, Kappa Alpha Theta hosts Mr. University, a beauty pageant that helps support Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Cook County. Alpha Omicron Pi puts on Alpha Games, a game show-style event, which raises money for arthritis research and the American Juvenile Arthritis Foundation. Pi Beta Phi presents Arrowfest, a live music video competition, which raises funds for the Pi Beta Phi Foundation and its support for improving literacy. Each organization supplies hundreds of service hours to charitable efforts around the city each quarter.
I’ve had an amazing time over the past two years supporting my sorority’s philanthropic efforts, and I am already excited for Anchor Slam 2019!