Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” In essence, that is what sorority life is all about. Sororities not only focus on helping their own sisters, but also look for opportunities to lend a helping hand to the community as well. NJIT’s two national sororities, Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Phi Epsilon, came together for a weekend filled with fellowship and community service organized the National PanHellenic Conference.
The National PanHellenic Conference is an umbrella organization that unites 26 sororities internationally. NPC has only existed on NJIT’s campus for a year since Fall 2012. After settling in, current NPC president Savannah Lischick worked diligently to organize three community service activities nearby to encourage Greek unity and social welfare. The three activities included volunteering at the Community Food Bank of NJ, a nursery home called Care One, and teaming up with Habitat For Humanities to work on a gardening project. Savannah organized three different events so that the girls could find a time that best suited them for volunteering. Close to 50% of both sororities attended the events and truly made a difference.
The food bank event was the first scheduled activity on Saturday. The girls arrived at around 9:00 am and spent a few hours sorting food. They had the chance to represent sorority life and what they stand for amongst non-Greeks who also volunteered with them.
The next event was at Care One. Four girls volunteered to go in the afternoon to visit the elderly. According to Savannah, there really wasn’t much planned for them to do there except help reorganize the living room. They spent the rest of the time getting to know the elderly people living there. Many of them discussed family and old memories. The senior citizens were so thrilled to have company that they invited the sisters to return anytime they pleased.
The last event was on Sunday morning. Habitat for Humanities hosted a gardening project that the sisters were excited to participate in. The majority of the time, the sisters were working hard whacking weeds and mowing the grass. The great thing about this activity was that there was a visible difference in the garden when the girls had finished working. Leaving the site, everyone felt accomplished.
Coming together, these girls impacted the community and practiced unity. This will be the first of many NPC events to come!
Irene Moussa
