A Letter from Our Vice President Foundation
Philanthropy is defined by the desire to promote the welfare of others. So what does that mean in the Greek world? Each Greek organization supports different charities, for which they host and take part in events to raise money.
Delta Gamma’s philanthropic project is called Service for Sight. Our chapter, Epsilon Theta, involves other philanthropic groups such as the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research and Lighthouse for the Blind that are located in the Tampa Bay area.
Lighthouse for the Blind is an after school program offered all over Florida that helps blind students prepare for life outside of school. They teach computer skills, kitchen safety and all that is necessary for getting a job or going to college.
Each semester our chapter participates in events hosted by us and events held by the above organizations. We help Lions Eye by volunteering at their Race for Sight in the spring and at the Eye Ball Gala in the fall. At the Lighthouse, we have chaperoned a Halloween dance and taught the kids how to do the Cha-Cha Slide along with other dances.
Each October, our chapter joins with the University of South Florida chapter of Delta Gamma and a fraternity at the University of Tampa (UT) to go around Tampa and Trick-or-Treat for eyeglasses. We use these opportunities to build connections with other Delta Gamma members and alumni in the Tampa area. When spring arrives, we hold our second, annual event, AnchorSplash. We use this as a way to raise money for and awareness of the visually impaired.
Delta Gamma wants all its initiates to be well-rounded young women. Therefore, we are not only responsible for Service for Sight hours; we are also expected to give back to our communities in other ways. We must dedicate five of these hours toward sight related services and another five toward other community services that do not concentrate on sight. The University of Tampa makes this very easy for us to accomplish as we have many opportunities during the semester to fulfill the requirements. As a chapter, we have participated in Relay for Life and a Women’s Health Walk to raise awareness of and money for breast cancer research and for the UT Women’s Basketball Team.
As a chapter, we enjoy doing all that we can to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. You can find more information at deltagamma.org or email me at [email protected]
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SERVICE FOR SIGHT
Delta Gamma is proud to support and raise money for our philanthropy Service for Sight. This organization works to provide aid for the visually impaired and to raise awareness about blindness and prevention.
As DeeGee’s, we are proud to be a part of the organization and are always willing to lend a helping hand. As a chapter, we at the University of Tampa go Trick or Treating for eyeglasses every Halloween throughout local neighborhoods. We then donate all of our eyeglasses collected to Service for Sight as we know they will be in the hands of a new rightful owner.
One event that is extremely rewarding that we are invited to participate in each year is called Race for Sight. Service for Sight holds a 5k run and sisters are always able to participate in numerous ways at the event. It not only brings us as a chapter together, but makes us feel proud to have been a part of something so effective.
In addition to raising money and volunteering our time to Service for Sight, Dee Gee's at UT also give back to other organizations. We participate every year in Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research. Additionally, every sister volunteers their time to give back to an organization separate from Service for Sight as a requirement we have set. The women of the Epsilon Theta chapter do this willingly as our motto tells us to always "do good".