One of the most profound acts of community service I have ever been a part of is Rivalry Run. Not just for what I helped give to the Stephanie Spielman Fund, but also what it gave back and taught to me.
First of all, I have never been part of such a strong group effort to contribute to society. Everyone of my brothers helped contribute in some way to this goal of raising money for breast cancer. Now I will admit in the scheme of things I really didn't do that much. All I did was coordinate schedules with Andrew Garcia. We got together and used the money that was given to me for printing by the Fisher College of Business and printed off letters for all of our graduate brothers. Then we found a time that worked with most of our chapter and had a group of about 15 or so brothers sign, seal, and stamp the letters to be sent off in the mail. I have never seen a group work so efficiently to accomplish a goal in such a short period of time. It taught me a lot about how a small group can really accomplish so much if they are all driven by a common goal and excited to make a difference. In two sessions of about 20 minutes each we got letters sent to all of our graduate brothers which is over 700.
Another thing Rivalry Run taught me is how beneficial our chapter can be when it is energetic. Coming from a crazy spring into an intense RR fall, all of our brothers accomplished so much. It goes to show how much we are lacking when we are apathetic (i.e. in the worst of all seasons.... winter). Our chapter can be contributing, not only to itself, but to the community as a whole if we just pushed ourselves all year around. It actually blows my mind thinking of all that we could accomplish. WE want to be the best chapter on campus, I believe keeping people energetic is definitely the way to do this. Yes I know... quite difficult but I'm sure that we can find a way :).
All in all I have found the need to do more community service, even if it is something small. Why waste free time playing smash when I could be out making a difference.
Coz
because smash is fun? and you enjoy kirby beating you? haha
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of brothers don't get though is that it is the small things that make a difference! You going out there and "not doing that much" by going out and printing stuff was what needed to be done! It doesn't matter how big or small of a role you play, it takes everyone to make a difference!
I as well said that RR has made a huge impact on my life. It is true that this event really brings our chapter together. This past year especially has proven to me that when we are all motivated and have a common goal we can really accomplish anything we want. There was a sense of unity in Fiji that I haven't seen in a while and it made me realize that basically "we are awesome."
ReplyDeleteI as well had a small part in rivalry run but the fact that everyone had small or large parts really created a collaboration and that is the reason why we were so successful!
I agree completly with you about RR. It crazy to see how much potential we as a chapter have when we go from raising 3,000 to over 13,000 in just a year.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you in that if we can keep up the momentum who knows what we can accomplish.
I agree with Niko. It's amazing how when the "little things" all come together then we have the kind of success that RR had this year. It's the doing of the little things that makes the big results happen and I think a lot of times that's looked over. It's always good to remind ourselves how important the "little things" are
ReplyDeleteGood point about how successful a group can be when they energize and get excited about a goal. Rivalry Run is definitely inspiring and energizing, and it is great that we all can use this energy to make a difference and put Greek Life and FIJI in a positive light for the community.
ReplyDeleteOthers have hit on this as well, but it is worth repeating. Attention to detail is important in anything you do. Its why fundamentals are so important in sports and why the "little things" were so important to this year's success in the Rivalry Run.
ReplyDeleteAny great success is a combination of little successes and , often, many mistakes.