Colgate’s Greek letter organizations have continued their charitable traditions in another year of philanthropic activity.

“For Panhellenic philanthropy,” sophomore Theodora Guliadis said, “we try to hold events that will involve all sororities to emphasize one of the stronger points of Greek life, which is to give back to the community by working together.”

This year, the Panhellenic Council hosted the annual “Mr. Colgate” competition, toiletry, clothing and tampon drives and an Up ‘Til Dawn letter-writing event for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Up ‘Til Dawn raised $55,000 this year. Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delta), Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) and Gamma Phi Beta (Gamma Phi) also “adopted” Broad Street for a clean-up mission.

In late January, the brothers of Beta Theta Pi (Beta) participated in the American Heart Association’s Run/Walk in Utica. They also collaborated with the Student Global AIDS Campaign to hold a banquet in the Beta house during AIDS Action Week, in addition to working on publicity for this June’s Hamilton Music Festival.

In mid-February, Colgate’s chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa) won a “Greek Award” for their Kappa Birthday Klub project, in which the sisters held bake sales, clothing resale drives and collections at chapter meetings to raise money for a joint birthday party for all foster children living in Madison County.

Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt) held four blood drives with the American Red Cross, including one in February and one last week. Between the two this semester, they collected approximately 90 units of blood. Four of the Phi Delt brothers also went to New Orleans over Spring Break with the Alternative Spring Break program through Opportunity Rocks and spent several days working actively with the hurricane relief effort. Four more brothers went to Utica after the Heart Run/Walk to help clean up.

Gamma Phi has held bake sales for Hurricane Katrina relief and for phone cards to give to the men and women in the U.S. armed forces stationed in Iraq. Sisters participated in Relay for Life as well as making Christmas cards for children in Africa and delivering “pumpkin grams” around campus. They recently held a dress drive, collecting formal dresses for girls in Hamilton, as well as selling bracelets for the Angels for Children Foundation to raise money for Madison County schools and participated in Interfaith Donation. They have also held a Jump Rope for Heart and a teeter-totter marathon.

The sisters of Tri Delta have run a weekly Saturday Morning Children’s Program at the Colgate Bookstore all year. In addition, they have collected Box Tops for Education for the Hamilton Central School and pull tabs from cans for Shriner’s Hospital. During the fall semester, they sold cookie jars for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. They hosted a triple play kickball tournament for hurricane relief in Pakistan, a Thanksgiving dinner for residents at the Hamilton Manor and an Adopt-a-Family Christmas program. Sisters made Halloween bags for Community Action Partnership in Morrisville and helped with the Sidekicks’ end of the year party. Spring semester found the Tri Deltas selling Valentine’s Day candy grams and carnations, 50/50 Spring Break raffle tickets and a Spring Party Weekend “Delta Ducky Derby,” all to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

However, Greeks do not work by themselves. Over the past year many of the Greek organizations worked together to host charitable events.

Phi Delt collaborated with Gamma Phi on a pumpkin carving event at Halloween and with Tri Delta on the “Great Easter Egg Hunt,” in which approximately 50 local children were able to hunt for eggs, visit the Eater Bunny and get their faces painted.

Tri Delta also co-sponsored a pancake breakfast with Theta Chi to benefit the International Rett Syndrome Association and another for “Bring Back the Bayou.”