Philanthropy
We won the Sexy Hair Caring is Sexy Contest!
Thanks to everyone who voted for our video! We are so excited and proud! Check out Sexy Hair's website and our video here!
Our Philanthropy Chairman, Elizabeth Melvin, entered the contest on the chapter's behalf by writing this essay about everything Zeta Pi does to give back to the community:
"The Zeta Pi chapter at the University of Georgia strives to better not only the Athens community, but national organizations as well.
Each fall, Delta Zeta hosts our annual Wing Bash event to support our local philanthropy, The Turtle Grant. The Turtle Grant was created in 2005 by the chapter to support the speech and hearing impaired community of Northeast Georgia. Our aim is to build a relationship with this community and support them through grant
money and service hours. The Turtle Grant committee organizes and navigates these projects, and we rely on the full support of the chapter to make the Turtle Grant a success. This past Wing Bash, we raised over $7000 to fund the local grant! The all‐you‐can‐eat wing event is one of the most popular philanthropic events on campus.
In the spring, Delta Zeta organizes a Paintball Tournament to benefit The Painted Turtle Camp. The Painted Turtle Camp provides children with life‐threatening illnesses the opportunity to participate in an authentic camp experience by supporting their medical needs and offers their families care, education, and respite. Not only does Delta Zeta raise money to support the camp, but we sponsor three to four girls each summer to volunteer at The Painted Turtle Camp for a week. It is a unique, life‐changing experience.
Additionally, Delta Zeta remains active in several philanthropic organizations at the University of Georgia. In May 2010, the Delta Zeta/Beta Theta Pi team raised $20,293.37 for Relay for Life! This was the most any of the 144 teams on campus
raised.
Delta Zeta also recognizes and supports the philanthropic endeavors of other sororities and fraternities on campus by attending their events, as well. For example, we danced in SDT's 'Greek Grind,' sung in Beta's 'Choral Cup,' and competed in field events at Sigma Chi's 'Derby Days.' Not only do we participate in these events, but we also have lots of fun as an entire sorority while doing it. The Zeta Pi chapter of Delta Zeta at UGA believes in giving back to our community and raising money for philanthropic causes. We are a group of young women who truly believe that 'caring is sexy.'"
Based on this essay, we qualified to make a video about why we think caring is sexy. Other sororities made their own videos, and we won!
For winning the contest, Sexy Hair Corp is donating $1,000 to the organization of our choice, which is the Painted Turtle Camp! The chapter is also receiving product samples and hair makeovers.
Our chapter donated a total of 9,182 volunteer hours and $47,248 outside of DZ events! Great job girls!
One of the most important things we do as a chapter is help the local Athens community as well as various national organizations. Delta Zeta’s National Philanthropy is the Speech and Hearing Impaired and the Painted Turtle Camp. Under Speech and Hearing, we support Gallaudet University, the House Ear Institute, and The Starkey Hearing Foundation nationally. Locally, we sponsor the Turtle Grant.
The Painted Turtle Camp, located in Southern California, is a member of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps co-founded by Paul Newman. The Painted Turtle Camp is the ONLY multi-disease medical camp of its kind. The camps mission is to provide a year-round, life changing environment for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
On October 25, 2010, Chelsea Lately interviewed Julian McMahon (Dr. Christian Troy from Nip/Tuck) and he raved about the Painted Turtle Camp! We're trying to find the clip to post it, but in the meantime check this out- a bunch of celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Billy Idol, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood), Mario Lopez, (Extra!), Jorge Garcia (Lost), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Ricki Lake (Charm School with Ricki Lake) and Melora Hardin (The Office) went to a benefit event where all proceeds went to the Painted Turtle Camp!
The Turtle Grant was started by the Zeta Pi chapter here at UGA in 2006 to support local hearing impaired individuals in the Athens area. Our mission is to form a bond with the local deaf community through donated time and monetary gifts.
The Turtle Grant is 100% funded by the Delta Zeta at UGA. In order to raise money for the Turtle Grant, we hold our annual Wing Bash philanthropy event each fall. We also host a designer jean sale, where 100% of the profits made are donated to the Turtle Grant. In 2007, we held our First Annual Paintball Tournament, and held the tournament again in 2008. Fraternities and Sororities competed against each other and raised money for our Turtle Grant. It is our hope that the Turtle Grant will continue to grow in the years to come!
To learn more about this grant, click here!
The Zeta Pi chapter made and donated 11 build-a-bears to the Starkey Hearing Foundation! These build-a-bears have hearing aids and are given to children with hearing aids so they can have "a furry friend just like them." To learn more, check out the flyer.
The Zeta Pi chapter just had their fifth annual Paintball Tournament! It was the most successful yet with about forty teams, including members of our own chapter and other sororities. The total raised for the Painted Turtle Camp through the Paintball Tournament was over $4,000. We sponsored two of our Zeta Pi girls, Leanne Heberling and Alyse Raguskas, to spend a week at the camp this summer.
For more pictures, check out the Photo Gallery!
Our 11th annual Wingbash philanthropy event was a HUGE success! We held it at our house, and had all you can eat wings, chips and soda all for $5.00! We had live music courtesy of Shannon McArthur on our front lawn. We raised $10, 416.60 total! We gave $4000 to the Turtle Grant and 6,416.60 to the Painted Turtle Camp and other national philanthropies. We are so thankful for everyone who participated and helped us out!
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