After completing 20,000 hours of community service last year, On Site Volunteer Services (OSVS) has challenged the Greek community to reach a higher goal of 30,000 hours for the 2000-2001 academic year, according to Felicia Hunt, assistant dean of fraternity and sorority affairs.
OSVS, a student organization encouraging volunteerism, is run by 25 student employees, who oversee volunteer projects with local agencies such as the American Red Cross, Ithaca Rape Crisis, Ithaca Youth Bureau and Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC).
“We work with these 50 or so non-profit agencies to help them complete projects they need,” said Itai Dinour ’01, Executive Director of OSVS. “We provide them volunteers who we have recruited and trained.”
With 40 percent of On Site volunteers coming from the Greek community, OSVS recognizes the integral part the Greeks play in its agency, Dinour said.
Greeks are challenged to raise $10,000 in funds for On Site during the course of the year, Hunt added. “With over sixty houses and 4,000 Greeks, we hope that each house will mobilize their own membership to contribute a flexible level of commitment.”
The proposal was launched last night as officers of the houses, On Site employees and the administration gathered to kick off the challenge. Representatives of the Inter-Fraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and Multi-Cultural Greek Letter Council were also among the audience.
“Part of the mission of On Site Volunteer Services is to promote a spirit of giving in the people we work with,” said Chere Carter ’01, director of development at On Site. “Besides involvement through OSVS, many [fraternities and sororities] volunteer considerable time on an individual basis. The OSVS Greek Challenge is an opportunity to recognize the good works performed by Greek organizations.”
The Greek system’s broad-based community services solidified over $185,000 in fundraising efforts last year, Hunt said.
“We would like to formalize the relationship between our two communities,” Hunt said. “This is a mutually beneficial opportunity to serve the community as a whole.”
Archived article by Tanvi Chheda