How to Add Pizazz To Your Philanthropy Bake Sale, The CL Way of Course!

It is no secret that all sorority girls LOVE their philanthropies, and bake sales make EXCELLENT fundraisers for these great causes!  But, some sisters (and customers) don’t get as excited as they once did for these bake sales as the semester continues.  Last week, you made your back to school resolution to cheer up your upset sisters (http://collegelifestyles.org/2010/07/cheer-up-the-cl-way-of-course/), but add ending the boring bake sales and raising more money for your awesome philanthropies to your list of things to accomplish!!!  Here are some ideas and recipes to make them more fun and successful!

*Buy Sorority Mascot Cookie Cutters!

You would be amazed by the array of different cookie cutters that you can find online!  I was able to find a lot of cutters that are also sorority mascots!

Imagine how much fun your sisters would have making cookies that look like some of your favorite symbols!  This will also be great for public relations on campus, as it can help make customers remember your organization!  These customers may just be girls who are thinking of going through recruitment!  (Oh! I remember you girls! You are the ones with those cute dolphin cookies!)

Find your organization’s mascot or symbol here!  Click on it to find out where to purchase it!  All are very inexpensive!

After you have your cutters, decorate them with sprinkles, frosting, or colored sugar!

*Put a Twist on an Old Recipe!  S’mores Brownies!

Having something different will really turn heads and keep people coming back for more!  S’mores brownies are fun and delicious!  Follow the pictures to see how to make them for your own bake sale!

Gather your regular brownie ingredients:  brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs.

Mix them up, but just don’t over beat!

Grease your pan!

Pour in the batter and bake according to package directions, but subtract 10 minutes from the normal baking time.  For example, my package of brownies stated to bake them for 28 minutes, so I put mine in for 18 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, coarsely chop up 6 graham crackers.

Gather 1 cup of mini marshmallows.  Marshmallows + Graham Crackers = BFF

Pull the brownies out of the oven!

Pour on the marshmallows!

Add on the graham crackers, and put them back into the oven for the remaining 10 minutes!

Take it out of the oven!  Look how yummy they look!  Let them cool completely before you decide to cut into them!

The chewy brownie, sticky marshmallow, and crunchy graham cracker make the best combination!

Yummy!

*Make Dorm Friendly Recipes!

Our kitchens at home during the summer are great!  The fridge is always stocked and there is every piece of equipment that is needed.  But when we are away at school, this isn’t at all the case!  The kitchen in my residence hall at school doesn’t really have that much equipment, and sometimes during the school year, I really don’t have much time to bake!

Here are some ideas for when all you have is a little bit of time, and a microwave!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries!!!

-In a microwave safe bowl, melt a cup of chocolate chips (any kind:  white, dark, milk, semisweet, etc.).  Be sure to do it in small intervals (10 to 15 seconds at a time) to make sure that the chocolate doesn’t burn, and stir up the chips between each interval.

-Once your chocolate is melted, dip and roll your strawberries in the chocolate!  Once they are fully covered, place them on a plate, and put them in your fridge to set!  So easy!!!

-To make it more fun, after you roll the berries in the chocolate, roll them in toasted coconut, crushed nuts, colored sugar, or anything else you can think of!

Rice Krispie Treats!

Not everyone knows this, but you can make rice krispie treats without the use of an oven!

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave ¼ a cup of butter with 3 cups of miniature marshmallows for 2 minutes.  Stir, and then return to the microwave for another minute.  Then, stir in 6 cups of rice krispie cereal until it is all combined.  (It may be easier to use clean hands rather than a spoon!)

Then, grease 13 x 9 inch pan, or if you do not have one, you can buy a cheap, disposable aluminum one.  Press your cereal mixture into the pan and allow it to cool.  Cut into squares and enjoy!

*Pack Your Items Prettily!

It is all about presentation!  No one wants to buy an ugly brownie, no matter how delicious it may be!

Ribbon and cute labels can really dress things up!  For this picture, I simply tied a ribbon around a plastic bag, the type without a zipper.  They sell cellophane bags in craft stores, but they can get expensive, and the other bags can be purchased in the dollar store, yet they get the same look!  Make a label out of construction paper and tie it on!

Cupcake liners are not just for cupcakes!  They make great holders for almost anything:  chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, and small brownies.  They are inexpensive and make it easy for customers eating on the go!

Need a place to hold all of your already packaged products?  Line the inside and the outside of an old shoebox with wrapping paper.  Everything will be instantly cute!

*Make Committees and Competitions!

Baking is more fun when you are doing it with someone else!  For your chapter’s next bake sale, randomly split up sisters into different committees, for example, the cupcake making committee, the brownie making committee, etc.  Working together will make it easier for those “baking-challenged” sisters, and for those sisters who do not have any baking supplies.  This is a great way to build sisterhood too!

Make some competitions that will make people want to go above and beyond and to bake even more!  (Which then means more profit!)  Which committee can make the most?  Choose a fun and inexpensive prize to reward these hard working sisters!

*Advertise!!!

No matter how awesome everything is, no one will come if they don’t know your event is happening!

Make a facebook event, describing where and when your bake sale will be, and describing some of the delicious food that will be there!  Have your sisters invite EVERYONE they know!  The day of the event, ask each sister to make their status about the sale.

Make a banner where a lot of people will see it, for example the cafeteria!

How do you make your philanthropy fundraisers more exciting?

Christine Palaski is a College Lifestyle Intern.  In the fall, she will be a junior at Adelphi University where she is a nursing major and a proud sister of Delta Delta Delta.  She can be found baking something fun and delicious.

Giving Back–In a New Way

On college campuses across the country, there are always numerous ways to get involved.  There are service clubs to join, and blood drives seeking ready participants.  However, if you’re looking for a way to give back to others even one step beyond that, a great way to do this is by joining the bone marrow registry of Be The Match.  Be The Match is the name of the National Marrow Donor Program, and it incorporates both the bone marrow registry, and its fundraising foundation as well.  Although donating bone marrow is more intensive than giving blood, if you are chosen, the gift of your bone marrow can save the life of a patient suffering from leukemia, or another life-threatening disease.   Recently, a sorority sister of mine, Caitlin Piecuch, decided to put her name on the registry.  Caitlin never expected it, but it turns out that somewhere out there, someone is her perfect match.  I spoke with Caitlin about her feelings on the process, and why she made the decision to donate her bone marrow.

LS: What made you decide to get involved with this?

CP: Well, I had always believed that giving blood was a great decision.  In my heart, I knew that donating bone marrow was just the next step and that it would be a great opportunity.  I was in Trabant one day and the UD football team was trying to recruit people. I figured that I would sign up for it and that if it was meant to be, and I was selected, I would go through with it.

LS: Did you ever think that you would get the opportunity to donate?

CP: No.  I had  wanted to, and I thought it would be cool if I were able to help someone out.  But, as much I hoped I would get the opportunity, I never thought I would.

LS: Did you have any reservations about doing this?  How do your parents feel about it?

CP: I don’t have any reservations because I know at the end of the day all the pain I might go through will help someone else and potentially save their life.  Of course I’m nervous about the procedure but I know that much more good will hopefully come out of it.  My parents couldn’t be more supportive.  I was nervous to tell them at first, thinking they would think I was crazy and that they wouldn’t understand.  They knew I willingly signed up though, and despite the big possibility I wouldn’t be chosen, they couldn’t be more supportive when I was.

LS: What are your thoughts on it, now that you have been selected?

CP: Well, I think that it is a great opportunity, and a great way to give back to someone.  It’s completely anonymous.  I’m really anxious to see what comes of it, and see if it helps the patient.  I’m anxious to see if I will actually donate, and if I ever will make contact with the patient.  Going through this process has made me wonder what it would be like if the shoe was on the other foot.  I think about how I would feel being a family member of the sick patient and hearing the news that a match has been found.  It encourages me more every day to continue the process.  The patient is 62 years old, and although that is a little old depending on who you ask, the person could still have a lot of life left in them.  I know that my grandfather was around that age when he died and I can’t help but think of how this is going to benefit the patient and his family, instead of how it might physically affect me.

LS: If you could say anything to the person you’re donating bone marrow to, what would you say to them?

CP: Just that I hope the bone marrow helps, and I would thank him for the opportunity to have a better outlook on life.  It’s made me appreciate my own life, and the lives of my loved ones.

LS: What kind of preparation do you have to do for the bone marrow donation?

CP: Initially, I got a phone call telling me I was a potential match, so I filled out some paperwork.  Then I was told that the patient’s doctor wanted to continue with me, so I had to give some blood samples, which were sent to patient’s doctor’s hospital.  My blood matched with the patient’s, so I received a letter saying I was a match.  Now, since the patient isn’t medically ready, I’m waiting until he’s able to receive the bone marrow.  I believe that I will have to do some additional testing, like a physical and a Q and A session, but I’m still waiting to hear back about the physical.

LS: What would you say to someone who was thinking about getting involved in this?  What kind of advice would you give them?

CP: I would tell them to continue going through the process.  The people working for the registry are the nicest people and are willing to help you with everything.  So far it’s only been an amazing experience, and I haven’t even donated yet.  I think you have to have “guts,” and be responsible.  It’s nothing to be taken lightly, because it is a very selfless situation.  I would tell them to think positively.  Many people don’t know how to give back to others, and although bone marrow can seem extreme, it is a very rewarding experience considering the gift is inside of your body.

For more information, visit http://www.marrow.org.

Lana Schwartz is an intern for College Lifestyles™ and is an English major at the University of Delaware.  She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and is loving this summer already.

CL Interviews Ginny Carroll, Founder of Circle of Sisterhood

I have been in contact with Ginny Carroll, founder of the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation, who talked about everything from her inspiration to how we can help to some heart-wrenching statistics.  Ginny is a great role model for all sorority women (and non-sorority women… and men… okay, everyone) out there.

CL: Please briefly describe the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation to our readers?

Ginny: The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation is a humanitarian effort by sorority women – regardless of affiliation – to uplift the spirit of women worldwide.  As educated women, we understand the importance of achieving an education and we believe that every girl in the world deserves the opportunity to go to school.  And we know that when all women have access to education, the world will be a better place.

Our mission is “to uplift girls and women from poverty and oppression through education.”

CL: What gave you the inspiration to start the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation?

G: I have been involved in the national sorority community for 25 years.  As a sorority women affiliated with an NPC group, I have often wondered why sorority women haven’t done something altruistic on a larger scale.  We are an identifiable group of college-educated women.  That, in itself, is very unique.  And just recently I realized that this effort should not be about NPC or even one sorority.  It’s about women caring for women.  It’s about ALL sorority women, regardless of affiliation, coming together to contribute to the greater good on a global scale.  We have the wherewithal and the numbers to have a significant impact for generations to come.

And also, the book Half the Sky by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn truly lit the fire.  No woman in the United States could read that book and not want to do something for our sisters across the world fighting gendercide, sex slavery, oppression, sex selective abortion, and brutality on so many levels – simply because they are girls.  And many experts believe that education is the answer to many of these global issues around women.

It’s just makes sense that sorority women would be motivated to participate in the humanitarian effort to educate girls and women across the globe.

CL: Why do you think 70% of the world’s out-of-school youth are female?  That seems like such a high percentage.

G: In many countries, girl children are not seen as a commodity.  Rather, they are a burden.  Often the attention, whether it’s health care or education, goes to the male child or children of the household.  And in most parts of the world, there is limited access to or not enough money to afford schooling.

CL: Is the only way to get involved to donate money or is there a way sorority women could donate their time/energy/etc. to the cause (for those who do not currently have the funds)?

G: My hope is that in the near future, as we mature as a Foundation, there will be many opportunities for sorority women to be involved in hands-on initiatives, whether that be immersion trips to other countries or some other means.

And honestly, we are not asking for a lot.  To most of us in this country, $100 is a day of shopping that includes a mani/pedi.  In the developing world, $100 can provide school supplies for one child for 5 years.

There are 4+ million sorority women throughout the world and if each one raised or gave just $100, our efforts will be transforming – for a very long time.

CL: Is there anything else you would like to share with the College Lifestyles readers?

G: I want those who “don’t have the funds” to consider raising a donation. I truly believe that if each of us asked just ten of our friends or family members to contribute $10 for this cause, they would do it without hesitation.  Ten dollars equates to lunch out, 1/3 of a pedicure, or a movie ticket.  To a little girl in the developing world, $10 equates to a school uniform so she can attend school.

There is tremendous potential for this humanitarian effort to have a positive impact in so many ways.  I know that when sorority women put their heads and their hearts together for a cause, amazing things happen.  I hope we can show the world the impact that we can have as intelligent, thoughtful, caring sisters of the world.

One World. One Sisterhood.

Thanks so much for your time, Ginny!  You are fabulous.

Be sure to check out the Circle of Sisterhood website and Facebook page!    Ginny and the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation are both amazing and I really encourage all of you to do whatever you can to help out!  If you have any questions for myself or Ginny, please don’t hesitate to e-mail us at intern@collegelifestyles.org or leave a comment down below!

Kaitlyn Kline is an intern with College Lifestyles.  She is an Edinboro University of PA and Alpha Sigma Tau alum, as well as a current graduate student at Point Park University.  She thinks the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation is one of the best things she has heard about in awhile!

Check out my favorite article from this week: Spring Clean Your College Lifestyle Diet by Hillary!

CL Interviews Rachel Doyle, Founder of GlamourGals and Leading Lady

Have you ever wished that you had an opportunity to give $10,000 to an excellent philanthropic cause?  Well, here is your chance to support Rachel Doyle and GlamourGals through the Make a Powerful Difference Contest presented by Pine-Sol.  Rachel and GlamourGals are one of the top 10 finalists in the contests and are hoping to win $10,000 and a feature in EBONY magazine.  Voting is easy and you are able to do it once a day from now until April 21st.

I have been in contact with Founder and President of GlamourGals, Rachel Doyle, who dished about everything from the foundation to getting involved to what she would do with the prize money.  Enjoy and please help out–most of their volunteers are too young to vote (you must be 18 years of age)!

CL: For our readers who aren’t aware, can you give us a brief description of the GlamourGals Foundation?

Rachel: GlamourGals mission inspires and organizes teens to provide ongoing beauty makeovers to women living in local senior homes.  Our volunteers provides seniors and local homes companionship, interaction with the local community as well as an outlet to share their life stories and experiences with.  We also provide local chapters of volunteers support through our Hot Pink Leadership Program.  This enables them to be more efficient effective volunteers in their communities.

CL: What first gave you the idea to give makeovers to women living in senior homes and how did that idea expand into the phenomenon that it is today?

R: I started GG in honor of my grandmother who passed away.  I always loved the idea of taking part in volunteer service that I enjoyed, that my friends enjoyed and that made someone smile.  Who doesn’t love makeup or feeling beautiful?!  Although, we started with three volunteers I think the idea resonated with many more because it is a relevant conversation.  The future development of young women in positive and leadership driven settings has always been important.  Making sure the elderly in our society are not forgotten about will only continue to grow with the burgeoning senior population.  In our first year, the NY Times, Oprah and CBS Early Show covered our story.  This helped us share the important work we were doing and invite more people in to support the movement of young, compassionate girls we were creating!

CL: How can our readers get involved with GlamourGals? Is there a way for college students who didn’t participate with the foundation in high school to help make a difference now?

R: First, VOTE TODAY and every day in the Make a Powerful Difference Contest!  The bulk of our volunteers can’t personally support us in this contest because they are not 18.  We need YOUR help.  Sometimes, it is the simple, immediate actions that help the most!

Second, become a FAN of the GG fan page on FB and suggest to friends.  If we get 5,000 fans by April 29th all of our GG volunteers will receive GG-tshirt to wear while they volunteer, hold meetings and hey – maybe even to the mall!

Third, maybe some of your readers were GG volunteers in high school?  GG is celebrating its 10th year and we would LOVE to reconnect with our alumni!  They can start a college chapter.

Fourth, Do you have a younger sister in high school?  This is wonderful program for them to start in their school.

Fifth, check out the GET INVOLVED PAGE!  From interning, to running a race for GG there are other opportunities!

CL: If you won the ‘Make a Powerful Difference Contest’ by Pine-Sol, what are you hoping to accomplish with the $10,000 prize?

R: Every dollar counts in a grassroots organization like GG.  This funding would guarantee our leadership training for our volunteers, resources for mailings, give us the guaranteed capacity to spend the time inspiring and organizing our volunteers each day, week and month to be the best volunteers they can be this year.  Also, guarantee the funding for our volunteer t-shirts.  Hey, every college girl knows that if she is part of sorority, club or cause having a t-shirt to wear and feel a part of the group gives each person a sense of pride and community.  We have girls spread throughout almost 30 chapters in multiple states and want to give them the resources to share this amazing organization and work with their friends, family and community!

CL: Do you have any other comments for the College Lifestyles readers?

R: Makeovers and manicures are just half the story… Check out www.glamourgals.org!

You can follow GlamourGals on Twitter here or join their Facebook group here!  While you’re at it, please don’t forget to vote! (At this time Rachel and GlamourGals are roughly 50 votes away from second place.)  Let’s all work together to get them into first place!

If you have any questions for me or Rachel, please e-mail us at intern@collegelifestyles.org (I will pass them along to Rachel) or leave us a comment down below!

Kaitlyn Kline is an intern with College Lifestyles.  She is also an Edinboro University of PA and Alpha Sigma Tau alum.  She wishes she knew about GlamourGals when she was in high school, but she is doing her part by voting now!

Philanthropy is Always In…Refresh Everything!

As I was watching television the other day, I saw a commercial for one of the coolest philanthropy projects I have seen in awhile.  Pepsi is hosting a project called the Pepsi Refresh Project.  Pepsi is giving away over $1 million in grant money to people with good ideas every month.

What is it?: Pepsi is looking for ideas that have a positive impact on the community.  This project is only open to ideas that will be implemented in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.

How it works: They are accepting 1,000 ideas each month and the public is voting on them!  They will potentially award up to 32 grants out of those 1,000.  The top 100 runners up will automatically be carried over to the next month so there is no need to submit again if you are one of those 100.

What you win: Two grants are going to receive $250,000, ten will receive $50,000, ten will receive $25,000 and a final ten will receive $5,000.  Once again, this is each month!   You have twelve months after you receive the first of the funds to complete your project.

I think this is such a good idea and even if you don’t have an idea of your own, I would suggest voting for those ideas you find inspiring.  For example, last month $50,000 was awarded to build a baseball and softball diamond to promote youth athletics.  They also awarded $250,000 to provide comfort items for US military troops recovering from wounds.  Click here to check out the rest of the grants awarded last month–there are some really amazing ones! To get even more inspired, check out Emily H’s post on sorority philanthropies!

If you had one of these grants, what would you do with it?  Let us know in the comments section or e-mail us at intern@collegelifestyles.org!  Also, let us know if you plan on submitting an idea.

Kaitlyn Kline is an intern with College Lifestyles.  She is an Edinboro University of PA and Alpha Sigma Tau alum.  She thinks the Pepsi Refresh Project is, well, refreshing!

Innovative Philanthropy Ideas and One More Reason to Go Greek!

It seems like just a few days ago I was writing about the beginnings of cool autumn nights and the changing of the leaves. Now it’s the beginning of November, pumpkins are out and I’ve scraped the first frost off of my windshield.
I don’t know about you fabulous girls, but this semester just seems to be flying by! Where has the time gone?

These last few weeks have been particularly hectic for me as I coordinated a new philanthropy event for my university’s Alpha Sigma Tau sorority chapter. We held a campus-wide Mystery Theater Dinner to raise money for the Global Volunteer Network’s “Eat So They Can” Campaign. All of the proceeds of the event went straight back to GVN, who distributes the internationally raised funds across third-world countries in Africa to help provide food and education for children living in areas like Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Pretty cool cause, huh?

My future career goal is event planning, and I just can’t get over how much experience being involved in my sorority has given me. By the time I graduate I will have coordinated multiple large scale philanthropy events, what a resume builder! Just another reason to Go Greek! Anyway, the event was a huge success and I was thrilled to be able to contribute a large donation to the “Eat So They Can” Campaign in my sorority’s name. Philanthropy is something that is extremely important to me, and one of the characteristics I looked for in a sorority when I was going through formal recruitment in spring 2008. For any of you going planning on going through recruitment in the future I advise you to figure out beforehand what characteristics are important to you, and then look for those in your potential future sisters. If you find those characteristics you know it’s a match.

I know this time of year is really big for sororities and fraternities on college campuses around the country to hold large-scale philanthropy events. I told you about my Mystery Theater Dinner, and I’ve mentioned in much-earlier posts that my sorority also holds a campus wide “Miss Duquesne” Pageant in the spring to raise money for Habitat for Humanity and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

I know my sorority is always looking for a new fresh idea to raise money for our organization’s causes, so I thought I would open this post up for some ideas and suggestions for and from all you sorority girls out there. What does your organization, or another campus organization do on your campus to raise money for philanthropy? What’s the best philanthropy event you’ve been to, held, or just heard about?

For example, the Alpha Phi’s on my campus hold a Red Dress Gala in September, the sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha held a “Jeans for a Cure” event selling designer label jeans at discount prices to raise money for Breast Cancer Research, and the Alpha Gamma Deltas hold a “Grab-A-Greek” date auction just to name a few! All of these are successful and fun ways to help raise money for some really amazing philanthropies.

Now it’s your turn! I want to hear your ideas, so leave me a comment and hopefully we can all brainstorm some great ideas for one of my favorite parts of Greek Life!

 

 

Emilyh is a junior at Duquesne University, College Lifestyles™ intern, and sister of Alpha Sigma Tau. She is a clumsy perfectionist who can’t help but laugh at the “awkward turtle” moments in her everyday life. She enjoys community service, event planning, and combining the two for a fabulous time!

Love Doesn’t Hurt (Domestic Violence Awareness Week 2)

Since the month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and it’s really important to me since it’s my sororities philanthropy, I have vowed to post about domestic violence once a week for the month of October here at College Lifestyles (TM). If you missed last weeks post, check it out here. Since that post was a lot of facts, this week I wanted to focus on teen violence. As I mentioned last week, the statistics are scary how common domestic violence is in teens.

One of my best friends in high school was in an abusive relationship, and I witnessed it, as did several of our other friends. I had no idea what to do, and imagine that most high school students today would share my confusion. That’s why it’s so important to spread the word that there is something you can do to help, and it could make all the difference. That’s why this week is focused on teen/dating violence. If back then, I would’ve known I could have helped it may have changed things for the better.

Here are a few facts just to get an idea of how serious this. Statistics from loveisnotabuse.com:

• 89% of teens between the ages of 13 and 18 say they have been in dating relationships; forty percent of teenage girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. (Children Now/Kaiser Permanente poll, December 1995)
• Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their intimate relationships continue to date their abuser. (City of New York, Teen Relationship Abuse Fact Sheet, March 1998)
• 1 in 3 teenagers report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)
• Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)
• If trapped in an abusive relationship, 73% of teens said they would turn to a friend for help; but only 33% who have been in or known about an abusive relationship said they have told anyone about it. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

Scary, isn’t it? This is a serious, prevalent problem. It’s often assumed that only married couples or older couples suffer from domestic violence, but this is not the case. So what can you do?

If you think your friend is in an abusive relationship, talk to them. Be prepared for them to deny it, but make sure they know you can be trusted. Recommend they talk to someone like a counselor, teacher, or someone they trust. Give them a hotline they can call if they decide they want help. A good national helpline is loveisrespect.

Love is respect is a National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline sponsored by Liz Claiborne. One of the greatest features of loveisrespect is their live chat. They have peer counselors that will chat with you online 24 hours a day to help you with whatever you’re going through. They also have an 800 number in case the chat is unavailable for some reason.

Think you’re being abused? Chat with the counselors and they’ll help you with what your options are. Worried about your friend? Loveisrespect has tips on how to talk to them. Not sure if your relationship is good for you? Take the quiz at loveisrespect to see if your relationship is healthy. Liz Claiborne also teamed up with dosomething.org to create the program MADE, Mom’s and Dad’s for Education to Stop Teen Dating Abuse. They have a special page dedicated to Teen’s. What can you do to get involved? What do you do if you’re being abused? This page covers all that.

Loveisrespect also has a lot of awesome celebrity involvement; Martina McBride and her daughter have teamed up with loveisrespect to get the word out about teen dating abuse and educate both teens and parents on ways to stay safe. She is currently on tour with Trace Adkins,  calling it the Shine All Night Tour. Also, Lauren Conrad has teamed up with Mark to create the m.powerment by mark campaign, in hopes of educating young women and spreading awareness about the potential for abusive relationships that could change their lives. They created the Have a Heart necklace, available on meetmark.com with proceeds going to the m.powerment fund, trying to put an end to teen domestic violence.

This is such an important cause and one of the most relevant to people in our age group. Statistics show that women ages 16-24 experience the highest rates of dating violence. This includes all of us college students plus our younger sisters, cousins, friends, etc. We can make the change and put an end to this!

If you or a friend is suffering from domestic violence, call the National Teen Dating Violence Hotline at  1-866-331-9474 | 1-866-331-8453 or chat with peer counselors live at loveisrespect.org.

Patrice is an intern with College Lifestyles (TM). She is a journalism major at William Woods University and is a member of Alpha Chi Omega. She is passionate about Domestic Violence Awareness and loves doing her part to spread the word!

“Life is too short. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Laugh when you can and let go of what you can’t change. Love deeply and forgive quickly. Take chances. Give everything and have no regrets. Life’s too short to be unhappy.♥”

Sorority Philanthropy Highlight: Children’s Miracle Network

The next few blog entries will divert from the life of a student athlete and focus on various sororities philanthropies. Phi Mu’s National Philanthropy is Children’s Miracle Network.

Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) is a non-profit organization that raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across the country. Every year 17 million children are helped by Children’s Miracle Network and in 25 years, over $3.4 billion dollars have been raised, mostly by donations of a couple dollars at a time. Some of the fundraisers for Children’s Miracle Network are the selling of the red and orange balloons in places like Dairy Queen, Wal-Mart, Costco and Speedway gas stations. Dance marathons are also held by college students across the nation to help raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Donny Osmond and John Schneider  formed Children’s Miracle Network in 1983.  One really cool thing about the Children’s Miracle Network is that the funds stay where they are raised.  Some other corporate sponsors are Sunoco gas stations, Coca-Cola, IHOP, Six Flags, Kroger grocery stores and the Miss America Organization.  Their Greek partners are Phi Mu, Zeta Beta Tau, Phi Delta Epsilon, and Phi Kappa Theta.

There are four  hospitals affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network in Michigan and they are the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Hurley Medical Center in Flint and Sparrow Hopsital in Lansing. If you want to see which hospitals in your state are affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network, go the the Children’s Miracle Network website and search for hospitals by state and or zip code.

If you would like to donate or get ideas for raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network, be sure to check out www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org

All information from the Children’s Miracle Network’s website.

Erica is a senior at Albion College, a CollegeLifestyles (TM) intern and is looking forward to National Philanthropy Day on October 19th. Feel free to contact Erica at intern@collegelifestyles.org

Greek Vocab Lesson

When thinking about the beginning of Fall semester I am always reminded of going through recruitment. I remember it being extremely hot, I remember constantly reminding myself to “sit like the queen” with my ankles crossed, and I remember not having a clue what to talk about because I seemed to miss the lesson on Greek vocab. Now after being on the other side of recruitment I see how easy it is to speak this secret language during recruitment chat without realizing that the girl you are talking to has no clue what you are saying.

 

So, for all you girls going through recruitment here are some words you will hear a thousand times and for you sorority women talking to the girls try to insert a definition or two to prevent total confusion.

 

Please add more to this. I know terms can vary from place to place so the more we provide the better recruitment will be.

 

 

Philanthropy is a general term for community service project or a non-profit organization that chapters help out. Every chapter has a cause or organization they focus on. Usually chapters hold annual events to raise funds for these groups. For instance my chapter holds a five on five basketball tournament every March to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America and the Bowling Green Family Enrichment Center. Prevent Child Abuse America is what we consider one of our philanthropies. Philanthropies are a great conversation topic during recruitment.

 

Chapter  is the term for the specific section of a national sorority. Each campus has individual chapters representing various national sororities. I have also heard the term “houses” used to describe this. Chapter can also be used as a term for weekly meetings that are held by the groups.

 

Panhellenic is the organization made of members of all organizations that sponsors formal recruitment and events such as Greek Week and Homecoming activities. Each organization provides a delegate to the group to report on the happenings of her prospective chapter. Panhellenic is a great group to get involved with if you are looking to meet people from all chapters on campus.

 

Council or Executive Council is the group of officers that run an individual chapter. Tip for recruitment: ask about leadership opportunities within chapters.

 

SaraP is an intern for CollegeLifestyles (TM)

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Tweet!

So most likely you’ve at least heard of Twitter, maybe even checked it out or know someone who “tweets”. Well, here at College Lifestyles we are big fans of top 5 lists, so I’m going to tell you the top 5 reasons why you should jump on the bandwagon & join Twitter!

5. It’s a great source of news- both entertainment and world. All the major news sources such as CNN, NBC, etc. have twitter pages, including entertainment news channels such as E! What’s great about getting your news from twitter is that it is, for one thing, it is straight to the point. With only 150 characters to work with, you get the facts without all the extra “fluff” you might get on TV. Also, it is real time, pretty much immediately. Since people can tweet anytime, anywhere, you can find out about things such as a plane crash or earthquake as it’s happening, or right after it happens before the news even begins to pick it up.

4. You’re not alone! Have you ever been sitting on the couch, by yourself, watching your favorite TV show & all the sudden something super climatic or exciting happens and you wish you could talk about it with someone?!? Well on Twitter, you can. Once, I simply tweeted “Whose watching Brother’s & Sisters tonight?!” and I got a bunch of responses and was able to vent about my show! Or take for instance, the American Idol finale, something that has millions of viewers. Want to know what America thinks about the result? Millions of people were tweeting live about the finale, and sharing their thoughts.

3. Great way to network your blog & meet new people. Do you have a blog, or have you thought about starting one? Twitter is a great way to promote your blog, and to find other bloggers who share your same interests or who could turn out to be great “blog friends”. Also, not only can you connect with bloggers, but chances are you could connect with sorority sisters from other schools! Through twitter, I’ve gotten the chance to know a bunch of fellow Alpha Chi’s & even people who work at headquarters!

2. Celebrities! Need I say more?! Ever wanted to ask your favorite celeb a question? On Twitter, you can & they might even answer! Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) holds Q & A sessions on twitter & answers questions of his fans! The Jonas Brothers have also held a Twitter chat with fans as well. Other celebrities on twitter include Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) Demi Moore (@mrskutcher) Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) Nicole Richie (@nicolerichie) Barack Obama (yes the president!) John Mayer (@johncmayer) Joel Madden (@joelmadden) & many, many more. See here for a complete list of celebs on Twitter. On Twitter, you can keep up with their latest happenings & maybe even see exclusive pics!

1. Opportunities! You never know what you might find on Twitter, including great opportunities. For example, I found out about this fabulous College Lifestyles internship via Twitter. Twitter is a great way to get a message out to mass audiences, so several companies use Twitter & may be tweeting about great opportunities. Another great example of an opportunity is free stuff! A lot of authors & companies hold contests via Twitter & give out free stuff. For instance, Meg Cabot (@MegCabot) has given out books for free to her Twitter followers! Also, it’s a great way to learn about philanthropy & charity opportunities! Through Twitter, I learned about Spirit Jump, an organization who boosts the spirits of seriously ill people. Using the hashtag #charitytuesday, you can find out about all kinds of amazing projects & ways to give back! Other projects include #militarymonday, dedicated to giving back to military families.

So, have you signed up for Twitter yet?! When you do (because you know you’re going to now!), make sure you follow us @collegelifestyl & us fabulous interns: @patrice0x0x @kaitortot @trimblyton @MarisaWoodham @KMWein!

Patrice is an intern with College Lifestyles (TM). She is a journalism major at William Woods University and is a member of Alpha Chi Omega.

“Love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it’d be easy, they just promised it’d be worth it.”