Give Up and Give Back
Writer: Sara F. Editor: Grace C. Photographer: Bella D.S.
Community service is a huge aspect of Panhellenic involvement. Members across the organization are encouraged to raise money and engage members in their philanthropic events.
Mary Bennett L., Community Service and Philanthropy Director on the Programming team for Chi Omega, leads her chapter through philanthropic work.
She adopted a new initiative called Give Up and Give Back, a program that gives money back to the community. Mary Bennett started this in January 2022 after noticing how much her sisters spent on their daily coffee.
“I wanted to start something different but interesting. I wanted to convince people for one day to give up their daily coffee and donate that back to our community,” says Mary Bennett.
Money is collected at Chi Omega’s weekly chapter meetings. For the first few weeks, money was being fundraised for their national philanthropy, Make-A-Wish, but it has since expanded to Line Dance and specific Chi Omega sisters in need.
Mary Bennett was approached by one of her sisters, who shared a story of a Chi Omega at another University who is fighting cancer. Touched by this story, she raised money at one of her chapter meetings for that sister in need. That night, Chi Omega raised $400.
But she didn’t start there. In high school, Mary Bennett was involved with the Milk and Honey Foundation in Pensacola, Florida. This organization allowed her to fundraise for activities for underprivileged children over the summers. Being a part of this program introduced her to brainstorming new and exciting ways to raise money for her community.
Since introducing this initiative, she has encouraged Chi Omega to give up their coffee money and donate. Through presentations of facts and research about how their impact can change the lives of others, the chapter has a deeper understanding of how a little can go a long way.
This year, the chapter was fortunate to grant two wishes to kids in the local area. One child was able to travel to Key West with their family, and one was able to transform their garage into a movie theater. Seeing the impact first-hand in the community has helped the sisters of Chi Omega experience what their donations do for families around them.
Her passion for philanthropy has boosted fundraising efforts within her chapter. What excites Mary Bennett the most is seeing how excited her sisters are to donate at their weekly meetings. Sisters have since approached her with new ideas and love how simple it is to impact someone’s life.
Given the overwhelming response to her program, Mary Bennett has since spread the news about her success. She discussed the Give Up and Give Back program to Chi Omega Firesides: a leadership conference at National Headquarters. She spoke with other members at the program meetings to spread to different chapters nationwide. Mary Bennett also plans on extending her idea to the Panhellenic community at Florida State.
Mary Bennett has learned that staying consistent with her initiative has not only grown her program but keeps members excited about donating to different philanthropies each week. She is looking forward to seeing her sorority make more impact in the community as her chapter continues to give up and give back.