Bringing sexual assault into the light - The Northern Iowan - University of Northern Iowa

You may think that progress on sexual assault has its ups and downs. The SigEps at the University of Northern Iowa are out to prove it by riding a "Sexual Assault Awareness Week See-SAAW" in shifts for 24 hours.
They also, and without a trace of irony, sponsored a "Snag a SigEp Date" auction and raffle which raised over $1900.

Bringing sexual assault into the light - The Northern Iowan - University of Northern Iowa

Sexual Assault Awareness month, which is April, aims to raise awareness of sexual assault and get away from the “stranger in the bush” way of thinking, said Robin Summers, graduate assistant in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

ERIN KEISER/Northern Iowan

Sigma Phi Epsilon built a See-SAAW for Sexual Assault Awareness 

Week. The brothers took turns riding the See- SAAW for 24 hours 

outside Maucker Union.

“Most people who are sexually assaulted know their attackers,” Summers said. “It is important to inform people about what sexual assault is and what it is not.”

Groups on and off campus are sponsoring sexual assault awareness events all month.

Sigma Phi Epsilon sponsored Sexual Assault Awareness Week (SAAW) April 14-18. Members built a “See-SAAW” near the fountain outside Maucker Union that members took turns riding for 24 consecutive hours. The brothers hoped to make the week more visible to the community.

The fraternity also sponsored a self-defense class and Snag a SigEp Date Auction/Raffle, which raised $1,940 for Cedar Valley Friends of the Family, a nonprofit organization that aids those who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence or homelessness.

Alex Stepanek, vice president of programming for Sigma Phi Epsilon, said he knows fraternities receive a bad stereotype regarding sexual assault. He said he wants to show people that sexual assault awareness matters to them.

Joan Thompson, victim services advocate, said this is important because men may be more willing to listen to other men.

“The reality is that sexual assault is mainly perpetrated by men,” Thompson said. “So I do think when men step up and get involved, it speaks loudly to other men because they can be influential to other men in helping to bring awareness and stepping up the plate and holding one another accountable for treating people with respect.”

Thompson will participate in the month’s last event, Take Back the Night, April 29. Wellness and Recreation Services, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Feminist Action League are sponsoring the event.

Thompson will be discussing her role of victim services advocate while Harry Brod, sociology, anthropology and criminology professor,  will cover consent in a panel discussion. Two victims of sexual assault will also relate their personal stories to the audience.

“I would just say that every student has the ability to do one thing, whether it’s to walk to a display and look at something, pick up a ribbon, go to one of the lectures ... I just think everyone has the chance to do something, and not only for themselves personally, but for others,” said Shawna Haislet, graduate assistant in WRS Health Education.

Jackson Katz, co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention, will give a lecture Thursday. “More Than a Few Good Men: A Lecture on American Manhood and Violence Against Women” will focus on sexual assault prevention.

“Sexual assault will not go away by doing nothing,” Summers said. “Action has to be taken, but for that to happen, I think it is important for people to be aware that it’s a human issue, not a women’s issue, and that everyone can take a part in ending this horrific type of violence.”

SigEp Iowa Delta donates big

Those of you who were in the VP Communications track at CLA this year should check out this great example of telling the SigEp story. Love the check, too!

Social fraternity donates big:

Story and Photos by Hayleigh Syens

It’s not every Friday afternoon that the brothers of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon suit up.
This year, Queen of Hearts co-chair Brady Oates introduced a new fundraising effort.

But this past Friday was different: The brothers were presenting a check for $17,000 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Iowa.

The donation is the result of a wildly successful philanthropy effort by Sig Ep this year.

Queen of Hearts, Sig Ep’s annual philanthropy, has been around since 2001.

“Our chapter had just gotten back onto campus and we had a brother, Eric Grunzinger. He was diagnosed with leukemia. He unfortunately didn't win that battle,” said Dan Pfeifle, Queen of Hearts co-chair. “The chapter decided that from then on, their philanthropy efforts would go to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Iowa, kind of in a way to remember him.”

The specific events making up Queen of Hearts week have changed over the years, from talent shows and dunk tanks to senior skits and brothers shaving their heads.

However, the big event, a softball tournament at the end of the week, has stayed consistent.

“That was the original event for Eric: playing softball. They raised money for his family and treatments. He passed away, but since then, we've continued on,” Pfeifle said.

Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon Support Autism Speaks

Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon Support Autism Speaks | Blog | Autism Speaks:

This guest post is written by Omar Kasim, the Vice President of Philanthropy for Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) at the University of Arkansas.  The fraternity is involved with Autism Speaks U, an initiative of Autism Speaks that  is designed to support college students, faculty and staff in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts.



A year ago Jack Otten, an alumnus of the Sigma Phi Epsilon(SigEp)chapter at the University of  Arkansas and father of an autistic child, approached his old chapter requesting its support for Autism Speaks. Since then, we have devoted our philanthropic efforts to raising money and awareness for the organization. Every year we host an annual kickball tournament for the sororities at the University of Arkansas. The tournament gives sororities an opportunity to compete against each other while at the same time working towards a common goal of raising money for the cause. Last year was the first we supported Autism Speaks and were able to raise over $6,000. This year we have set a goal of $10,000, a number we believe is more than feasible.

Fighting for their brother

Speaking of curing cancer (see previous post), Here we have a great example of the fraternity at its best. The SigEps at UNC are raising awareness, helping one of their brothers, and getting a haircut all at the same time.

Fighting for their brother : NinerOnline:

This massive sign was initially used
for IFC Rush Week, however it is now
used to spread awareness of Jack and
leukemia. 

On Aug. 24, a brother of UNC Charlotte’s Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) was unfortunately diagnosed with acute leukemia, a treatable yet serious form of blood cancer. In an effort to support Jack Bretz and his fight, the brothers of SigEp have coordinated a philanthropy event called “Shave a SigEp.”

“The plan is simple,” explains Ian Petrere, Vice President of Member Development for SigEp. “We are not looking to raise millions of dollars through this event… We are, however, looking to rally together to show our brother how many people support him in his fight.”

Individual brothers have volunteered to shave their heads once the set amount of money they’re trying to raise is reached. Tuesday through Thursday of last week, the fraternity set up tables near the Student Union with jars that contained the brother’s name, picture and amount of money they strived to raise.

“The best feeling about doing this is that UNC Charlotte’s campus can come together for a person who has a life altering disease, and doing such a small thing as shaving our heads and our beards that the campus will want to come together to help a great cause,” said Phillip Stack, an Athletic Training major and brother of SigEp.

Stack plans on doing more than just shave his head. “I am also shaving my beard, which I haven’t shaved in over a year,” Stack said with a laugh.

Hazen Warlick, Bretz’s Big Brother in the fraternity, includes, “If you see a bunch of bald guys walking around campus in the next few weeks, you’ll know who it is and who it’s for.”

Warlick has been there since Bretz found out the bad news. “He called me just before our annual ‘Balanced Man Scholarship Banquet’,” Warlick recalls. “It was so out of the blue. But after the initial shock, we were all ready to get behind him 100%. We are a family, he is our brother, and he would have done the same for any of us.”

This experience has especially wowed the new brothers of the fraternity. Colin Jareb,  a freshman, explains that the impact of the experience should spread through not just the brotherhood but also the community, state, even world.

“The whole reason I decided to join SigEp was because they seemed to break the stereotype of fraternities and Greek life in general,” said Jareb. “This event definitely has shown me that we can come together as a brotherhood and do more for the community and just for the world. Hopefully it leaves an impact on the rest of the UNC Charlotte community as well.”

Greeks writing the next chapter in philanthropy

An interesting choice by the Eastern Washington SigEp chapter. Do you agree with their decision?

Sigma Phi Epsilon President Aaron Steiner said, “This year we actually changed [from donating to our national philanthropy] to the Wounded Warrior project. They help wounded vets get back on their feet with medical expenses or housing or things like that.”

Greeks writing the next chapter in philanthropy « Easterner Online:

Philanthropy in EWU sororities and fraternities has a long history that today’s Eastern students continue.

The first fraternity in the U.S. was created in 1776 and the first sorority in 1851, and while the original intent was to promote sociability among students, that intent soon expanded to include service as more Greek organizations formed across the country, according to AlphaDeltaPi.org and PBK.org, the websites of these first Greek organizations.

Sororities and fraternities at EWU are local chapters of national Greek organizations, each with its own history and special philanthropic cause.

“All fraternities and sororities are values-based organizations, so they all have value placed on engaging in community service and also engaging in philanthropic activities where they support either local or national charities,” said Samantha Armstrong, EWU adviser for leadership education. “Most of the requirements come from their national organization.”

EWU currently has 18 recognized sororities and fraternities with a variety of national causes including heart disease, autism, disability awareness and many more. According to Armstrong, students joining a Greek organization are told that the organization engages in community service.

The expectation is that members will participate and join in as part of each organization’s philanthropy ethic and service hours requirement. Each organization turns in monthly service hours for each member to Armstrong, who helps each group organize service and stay on track.

Reanne Charuhas is the student vice president of Panhellenic Societies and Philanthropy. “We had a ‘Mr. Greek’ pageant. … All the money went to cardiac care for [the organization’s] national philanthropy. Alpha Xi Delta had its annual spaghetti feed, unlimited spaghetti, salad and stuff at the community center, and raised over $2,000 for Autism Speaks,” Charuhas said.

Charuhas reeled off a list of projects done by different chapters for 26 Days of Kindness, such as a blood drive, candygrams, notes and special deliveries to people all over campus, support signs for EWU sports teams and more.

“Each sorority establishes its own community service requirements, varying from three hours to 10 hours a quarter,” Charuhas said. “This involvement needs to be outside of our group philanthropy work, getting out into the community.” She talked about how excited the women are to be involved in local elementary schools and shelters doing all kinds of projects.

Sigma Phi Epsilon President Aaron Steiner said, “This year we actually changed [from donating to our national philanthropy] to the Wounded Warrior project. They help wounded vets get back on their feet with medical expenses or housing or things like that.”

Sigma Phi Epsilon has members who have been or are currently in the military, and they consider veterans to be an important cause, according to Steiner.

Steiner also described an annual Haunted House fundraiser event held by his chapter house each fall. Community members, students and faculty donate $5 to come through and see the haunted house. This money is donated to Wounded Warriors.

Doran Williams is Sigma Phi Epsilon’s philanthropy chairperson. “We’re helping build a playground in Spokane and building with Habitat for Humanity,” Williams said. “We raised about $2,000 this last year [at Haunted House] and hope to raise more this coming fall.”

“Right now we don’t have any philanthropies planned,” Steiner said, “but we do want to do something for Youth Aid because that is our national philanthropy. We go through challenge courses, and each challenge requires community service for our members.”

One of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s principles is diligence, so members try to work hard in everything they do, according to Steiner.

SigEp Saint Baldricks 2013

Once again, SigEps at Drexel (PA Beta Beta) go bald to raise money for cancer research. They have sponsored this event for the last six years and raise over $100,000 for children's cancer research.

Greeks writing the next chapter in philanthropy « Easterner Online

From Eastern Washington University, an article about how Greeks are sponsoring philanthropic activities.

Greeks writing the next chapter in philanthropy « Easterner Online:

Sigma Phi Epsilon President Aaron Steiner said, “This year we actually changed [from donating to our national philanthropy] to the Wounded Warrior project. They help wounded vets get back on their feet with medical expenses or housing or things like that.”

Sigma Phi Epsilon has members who have been or are currently in the military, and they consider veterans to be an important cause, according to Steiner.

Steiner also described an annual Haunted House fundraiser event held by his chapter house each fall. Community members, students and faculty donate $5 to come through and see the haunted house. This money is donated to Wounded Warriors.

Doran Williams is Sigma Phi Epsilon’s philanthropy chairperson. “We’re helping build a playground in Spokane and building with Habitat for Humanity,” Williams said. “We raised about $2,000 this last year [at Haunted House] and hope to raise more this coming fall.”

“Right now we don’t have any philanthropies planned,” Steiner said, “but we do want to do something for Youth Aid because that is our national philanthropy. We go through challenge courses, and each challenge requires community service for our members.”

One of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s principles is diligence, so members try to work hard in everything they do, according to Steiner.

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SigEps at Quinnipiac University volunteer for elementary school

"Day of Volunteering" helps out elementary students near Quinnipiac University.

Ridge Hill School receives Lowe’s Toolbox For Education Grant - Life - Post-Chronicle:

 

More than a dozen RHS families and staff as well as more than 25 students from Quinnipiac University and members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity during QU’s day of volunteering, The Big Event! joined forces April 6 for the school’s annual Wake-Up the Garden Event.

HAMDEN — Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has awarded a $2,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant to Ridge Hill School in Hamden for grounds improvements within their Discovery Garden. Ridge Hill is one of more than 550 schools across the United States to be awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant this fall for school improvement projects during the 2012-2013 school year.

Ridge Hill School is an elementary school serving K-6th grade students. On beautiful, expansive grounds Ridge Hill School maintains a diverse and culturally rich student population. The Discovery Garden was installed and designed three years ago as a collaborative vision between families and staff who wanted to create a community focal point. This year circular, centrally located herbal garden will be installed in the landscaping and a split level fence will further define the garden space. The Discovery Garden serves as a hands-on classroom when students are studying living organisms during the science curriculum. The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2013.

TX Alpha SigEp organizes blood drive for victims of West explosion

Our guys at Texas got busy to help out the victims in the West, TX explosion. Great job!

Sigma Phi Epsilon organizes community blood drive to assist victims of West explosion | The Daily Texan:

Finance sophmores Ashley Davison and Matt Johnson give blood
during the Sigma Phi Epsilon blood drive for West families Monday
afternoon. More than 30 people signed up to help bring relief to the
victims of the fertilizer plant explosion on April 17.
Photo Credit: Charlie Pearce | Daily Texan Staff

BY MATTHEW HART

The explosion in West last Wednesday led officers of Sigma Phi Epsilon to organize a community blood drive Monday to help residents of the small town.

Business accounting senior Payton Schramm,Vice President of Philanthropy for Sigma Phi Epsilon, organized Monday’s blood drive in the fraternity’s parking lot at the corner of 25th and Pearl streets. Approximately 30 donors attended the drive.

“There’s always one or two events we do every semester to give back to the community,” Schramm said. “There are also spontaneous events like this blood drive that I organized. We’re always trying to do our part to give back, so when the explosion hit West Texas last week, we decided a blood drive would fit perfectly.”

Schramm said he organized the event with The Blood Center of Central Texas and set it up in the fraternity parking lot from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m..

“I know a lot of blood drives aren’t available in this zip code but I found [the Blood Center of Central Texas],” Schramm said. “I got in contact with them and it was a really easy process. You don’t pay them anything, they just show up. You just give them an idea of how many people are coming and then they just work with you.”

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Frat carries tree 42 miles for AIDS

Frat carries tree 42 miles for AIDS | WIVB.com

Frat carries tree 42 miles for AIDS

• 
  
• Posted by: Liz Reiman
• FREDONIA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Brothers of SUNY Fredonia's Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity took part in the 12th annual Tree Trot today.
• 
  
• The students formed a relay to bring one tree from their Chautauqua County campus, 42 miles to Lafayette Square in Downtown Buffalo.
• 
  
• The Tree Trot was held specifically on AIDS Day to bring attention to young people with the disease.
• 
  
• Organizer of the event, Dan Korzak says, " We collect money, throughout Fredonia. We try to get donations from businesses, and it all goes toward youth AIDS, and get the awareness out."
• 
  
• Tuscany Market in Fredonia donated the tree which will be donated to a needy family here in Buffalo.

Sig Ep helps underprivleged children

Sig Ep helps underprivleged children « The Echo: The University of Central Arkansas’ Student Newspaper

BY CLARK JOHNSON - NOVEMBER 28TH, 2012

The men of Sigma Phi Epsilon have made an effort to help bring Christmas to children who may not otherwise have received presents.

The fraternity held an event at their chapter house on Wednesday to help with Operation Christmas Child, an organization that draws participants to contribute to needy children by providing them gifts in shoe boxes for Christmas.

The effort helps kids worldwide with presents that many kids may view as necessities, but are presents to those less fortunate.

Samaritan’s Purse distributes the packages worldwide to aid children in areas stricken by poverty, war, disease and natural disasters.

Operation Christmas Child is a philanthropic effort put on by Samaritan’s Purse.

Participants fill up shoeboxes containing a variety of items from toys, hygiene items, school supplies and other goods to be shipped to children around the world.

Junior Philanthropy Chair for Sigma Phi Epsilon Tee Sun said he has been participating in Operation Christmas Child for many years.

Sun said he wanted the fraternity to remain involved after participating last year.

RIVERSIDE: Fraternity’s race supports Make-A-Wish Foundation

RIVERSIDE: Fraternity’s race supports Make-A-Wish Foundation | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise:

 JAVIER CABRERA/CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Steven Bugarin, the philanthropy chair of Sigma Phi Epsilon, awards Dimitri Whitman a medal for competing in the the second annual Chris Lee 5K Run for Hope, on Saturday, Nov. 17. 

The second annual Chris Lee 5K Run for Hope was held by the UC Riverside chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon on Saturday, Nov. 17.

The event benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was named in honor of Chris Lee, a Sigma Phi Epsilon brother and former president who was seriously injured in a car accident earlier this year.

More than 100 runners participated at the event, which began at 8 a.m. at UCR’s bell tower. The race and the following fundraiser aimed to raise $5,000 to grant the wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition in the Orange County and Inland Empire area.

Lee and the other car accident victim, Regan Moore, have faced serious medical battles following the crash. Lee was initially in a coma but has since made significant improvement at a rehabilitation center in Alabama. Moore also is in rehabilitation for a traumatic brain injury.

UCR’s Sigma Phi Epsilon President Matthew Womack said Lee’s dedication to the foundation makes the event’s naming in his honor all the more valuable.

Trading Orange for Pink

Trading Orange for Pink | The Daily Beacon:

...an excerpt:

In that effort, ZTA sisters hand out ribbons and cards to remind women to perform regular self-examinations.

"It's a private way of reminding you on a piece of paper that has stickers on it for you to put (it) on your agenda, or on your calendar, because we're all about early detection and being properly informed," Ahmed said.

The awareness effort has expanded to include the fraternity ranks as well, with Sigma Phi Epsilon assisting with the handouts on the Walkway.

"They (Sigma Phi Epsilon) have put aside any predispositions about handing out reminder cards about, well, pretty much feeling yourself up," Ahmed said.

Blake Hollis, junior in mechanical engineering and president of Sig Ep, said that breast cancer is an issue that actively affects the families of many of his fraternity brothers.

"Breast cancer really affects everyone, I'm sure you know people who have had it in the past. As a chapter, all of us are helping the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation."

The Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation is a national organization for breast cancer awareness and education, meaning that ZTA chapters at campuses across the country are fighting the disease in similar ways to those of UT's chapter.

"The Zeta Tau Alpha foundation is really one of the best foundations I've seen that actually gets the awareness out there in ways that people remember," Hollis said.

For Ahmed, it's a fight that hits home. Her grandmother passed away due to breast cancer, and her aunt struggled with it as well.

Fraternity Brings Nashville Band to Lincoln for Diabetes Concert

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity starts off the first weekend of school with a concert to raise donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

According to philanthropy co-chair Mitchell Ferris, the idea to do this concert came about last spring.

Ferris, who is from Omaha, said he went to school with one of the band members who also has diabetes. The Lonely Biscuts who call Nashville their home town, were flown to Lincoln just for the Friday night concert.

The Lonely Biscuts won The Battle of the Bands- Eastern Conference and have become well known in the Omaha area.

Ferris said, "We are here to have fun and get good grades but we are also here to give back and that is part of it. That's why I ran for philanthropy chair."

260 tickets at $10 each, were sold before the concert even started. Total attendance is expected to have reached close to 500 people once all the sales are tallied.

The concert began at 9:15 p.m. and lasted until around 11:30.

Ferris said this is the last event he is coordinating since someone else will sit in his chair on the committee beginning next month.

The fundraiser is being considered a success.

SigEp Katrina 2006 - YouTube

This excellent video was just uploaded. Too inspiring not to share.

SigEp Katrina 2006 - YouTube: ""

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Local couple puts out welcome mat for fraternity cyclists

Local couple puts out welcome mat for cyclists:

Patty Saunders and John Shea have
welcomed Journey of Hope cyclists into
their home for the past 12 years. 

"Sunday morning, 70 cyclists are slated to leave San Francisco and Seattle on an annual coast-to-coast fundraising tour for the developmentally disabled.

Twenty-eight of them will make their first stop around 5 p.m. in Napa — to be greeted by Patty Saunders and John Shea, a couple who have welcomed the riders for the past 12 years.

Their effort is part of a life spent aiding and advocating for disabled children and adults — and giving them the attention often denied them.

Each summer, the nonprofit Push America organizes the Journey of Hope, featuring fraternity members cycling from the West Coast to Washington, D.C.
...

Journey of Hope members, who belong to chapters of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, sign sponsors to donate funds before the tour, which includes two routes from the Bay Area and a third starting in Seattle. Along the way, the riders make donations to local programs supporting developmentally disabled residents, including Options3 Inc., a supported-living center in Santa Rosa."

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SigEps to run from Fredonia to Buffalo carrying a tree

Frat guys to run from Fredonia to Buffalo carrying a tree - Blog - Buffalo.com:

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For 12 years, the frat brothers from Sigma Phi Epsilon at SUNY Fredonia have been making the 45-mile trip to downtown Buffalo with a full-size Christmas tree in tow.

Oh, and they make the trek by foot.

It’s not hazing, and it’s not just for kicks. The annual Tree Trot is a Sig Ep tradition that benefits YouthAIDS, Sig Ep chapter president Allan Halas said. According to the YouthAIDS website, the campaign raises money and awareness for youth and young adults suffering from HIV/AIDS.

On Saturday, four of the 32 participating frat guys will run with the tree in 1.5-mile increments, Halas said. They’ll run from the SUNY Fredonia campus to downtown Buffalo’s Lafayette Square in rotations, surrounded by safety vehicles identifying the group and the cause. The group hopes to raise $5,000 for YouthAIDS.

“It’s very exhausting. It’s not the most fun of times, but we know in the back of our heads that we’re doing it for YouthAIDS,” Halas said.

Pi Kappa Phi Push America Great Greek Project

Cyclists raise funds, awareness for local organization

LACIE PIERSON

The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Nearly 100 cyclists riding 75 miles a day for nine weeks is enough to catch anyone's attention, but one national fraternity has been taking attention and turning it toward local causes throughout America.

Members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity have taken the Journey of Hope every year since its inception in 1988 when one fraternity member cycled across the country. Since then, the event has become an event that Pi Kappa Phi members throughout the nation participate in to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities and organizations that help them.

The cyclists were welcomed to the Mountain State Center for Independent Living in downtown Huntington by the center's employees and a hearty meal Wednesday evening.

Cathy Hutchison is a former manager for the center, and she was instrumental in making Huntington a regular stop on the Journey of Hope nine years ago.

"They are always an awesome group of young men, and they just get better each year," Hutchison said. "We work with all people will all kinds of disabilities -- regardless of income. These boys help us in so many ways. I can't even find the words to explain the importance of what they're doing to help us."

Journey of Hope is a program of Push America, the national philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi. Marshall University's Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi won an award for its philanthropy through Push America last year.

The funding raised from the 2010 journey helped the Mountain State Center in Huntington purchase equipment for its kitchen, which is where employees and volunteers prepared meals for the cyclists this week.

This year, the cyclists are expected to raise $560,000 nationwide by the time they complete their journey on Saturday, Aug. 13 in Washington, D.C. The 28-man team that arrived in Huntington began that journey in Seattle while two other teams began in San Francisco.

Pedaling more than 2,700 miles sounds like a daunting task, but Axel Holm, a student at Iowa State University said members often join the fraternity with the journey in mind.

"When I looked at it, I thought it seemed like a big task," Holm said. "But, then I thought I could push and go for it or I could stay back and regret not trying it."

Holm said the goal of the journey, from the participants' perspective, is to focus on the ability of a person, and not the disability.

"A lot of times when people see other people who have disabilities, that's all they see," Holm said. "Really though, it's not that they can't function. They're still people, and they just have to do things a little
differently. It's about seeing the person."

For more information about the Mountain State Center for Independent Living, visit www.mtstcil.org, and for more information about the Journey of Hope, visit www.pushamerica.org.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1652343900/Cyclists-raise-funds-awareness-for-local-organization

Marathon for Leukemia - in Alaska

Bro. Daniel Liu asked if he could post this appeal on the blog. Happy to help, Daniel.

Brothers,

I need your support! I am very excited to be part of a marathon team benefiting the Leukemia Lymphoma Society headed to Anchorage, AK on June 18, 2011. Our team is made up of cancer survivors, friends, and family who have been training for the last four months. I am about $3000 short of reaching my goal right now.

Training for this event has been grueling (especially trying to balance with tough work hours as a consultant), but I have learned from my teammates that strength and determination brings unimaginable hope. I feel training for this marathon has given me a new perspective of what "giving of your time and talents" can mean. There is nothing more challenging / inspiring than almost getting passed on a hill by a middle-aged woman who has survived cancer and share words of encouragement to help each other finish!

I would appreciate any support my brothers can offer to this worthwhile cause. Most people have been giving $25-50, but even $5 will help! To make a 100% tax-deductible donation, please click on this link: http://bit.ly/helpfightcancernow If 300 SigEp brothers give any amount, I will gladly run with a SigEp flag while I am in Alaska!

Thank you for your support as I train and run to bring awareness and help improve the lives of those affected by blood cancers.

In Phi,

Daniel Liu

Texas Upsilon '08

P.S.
I've included a personal story below to share:

My personal vendetta against cancer is a compilation of stories of friends who have suffered and those who continue to survive. I'd like to share one of them with you. 

Growing up, one of my best friends was Kelli. When we were in elementary school, her mother, Kimberly was diagnosed with leukemia. A few months later, Kelli was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors pronounced both of them terminal with months to live. Miraculously, they both struggled and persevered for many years. 

I vividly remember the last time I spoke with Kelli's mother in a hospital room in Taiwan. She was full of joy despite her frail condition - she left her family so peacefully. 

Today, Kelli continues to defy all medical diagnosis - her cancer has wrecked her body and doctors struggle to treat her. 

I believe that the financial support I raise might one day result in better treatment for Kelli, a chance at a better life. This is just one of the many reasons why I train, why I run, and why I need your support.

Just-A-Mile has a web site

Mike Nowak is a SigEp from Eastern Illinois University who has pledged to run a marathon in every state to raise awareness about depression and suicide. We chronicled his story in an earlier article.

Hello Everybody!
Just want to make everyone aware that we officially have a website now! Carla did a great job keeping it simple but not boring. We have a Paypal account setup for on-line donations, so start spreading the word! The feedback we have received in a few short hours has been very positive. The address is www.justamile.org

We’re heading to Madison on Saturday to run our second marathon of the year, so I will keep everyone posted on how it went.

I have a few ideas I’m working on for the organization, including a post race fundraiser at the St. Louis race. If our Southern Illinois/StL members have any suggestions on where to host the event let me know.

Love you all and talk to you soon!

God Bless!

Mike