The Greek Week Steering Committee has selected 14 local organizations to act as beneficiaries for this year’s Greek Week at their recent retreat, Greek Week Adviser Stacie Baker said in an e-mail.
Last year, the Steering Committee decided to increase the number of beneficiaries from eight to 14. This way each sorority and fraternity grouping can be paired with a specific organization for which they are raising money.
“By increasing the number of beneficiaries, we are able to reach a more diverse pool of beneficiaries and subsequently a larger percentage of those at need in Columbia,” Director of Beneficiaries John Bowen said.
Missouri Girls Town, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, ParentLink, The Center Project, Central Missouri Dream Factory, Central Missouri Honor Flight, Coyote Hill, Heart of Missouri CASA, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Alzheimer’s Association, Ella’s Hope, Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, MedZou and Granny’s House will all benefit from Greek Week 2011.
“Traditionally, Greek Week Beneficiaries receive approximately $10,000 to be used in furthering their programs and respective organizations,” Baker said.
Each beneficiary supports a different cause and plans to use the money received from Greek week in a different way. These plans are outlined on Mizzou Greek Life’s blog. (http://www.mizzougreeklife.blogspot.com/)
According to its website, The Center Project is an organization that exists to foster greater understanding, visibility, support and appreciation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ally community in mid- Missouri. The money raised during Greek Week would help with the day-to-day operation of the Project.
“This would literally keep our doors open,” stated The Center Project’s beneficiary application to Greek Life.
Baker said the selection process started with local non-profit organizations submitting applications to become beneficiaries. These applications were sent out by e-mail and posted on the Office of Greek Life’s website. Organizations listed its basic info and answered a series of questions detailing their mission statement, goals and how the money would be used.
The Steering Committee then used a set criteria to choose these 14 beneficiaries, including how the money would be used and if the plans for using funds were explicitly stated, whether there were possible volunteer opportunities for Greek Life students and other sources of funding the organization receives.
“The Steering Committee worked hard to select a diverse group of beneficiaries,” Baker said.
Each fraternity and sorority chapter has a liaison to the Greek Week Steering Committee. These liaisons were given an overview of the beneficiaries and then drew for first pick to select the organization their grouping specifically would benefit.
“After the steering committee selected the fourteen beneficiaries, we presented a small slideshow to the liaisons of the groupings and gave them the opportunity to select their own beneficiaries,” Bowen said. “Each of the groupings drew numbers out of a hat — 1-14 — and then proceeded to select their beneficiaries in order.”
Although the groupings don’t directly raise money for their paired organizations, they participate in service events and then are involved with the beneficiaries outside of Greek Week, Bowen said.
“Groupings are also encouraged to include beneficiaries within their Greek Week fling skits, games signs and banners, and overall Greek Week banners,” he said.
Donations to the beneficiaries are divided evenly amongst the 14 organizations from the pool of all Greek Week money raised.
“Greek Week is a not-for-profit, and every dollar we raise goes directly to support our fourteen beneficiaries,” Bowen said.
