One of the seven core values of Lambda Chi Alpha is service and stewardship. Philanthropy and community service are key factors in who we are as a chapter, and it brings us closer together as we serve those in our community. The chapter holds four major philanthropy events and many smaller community service events throughout the year partnering with both local and national organizations. This gives the opportunity for each member to find what they love and make a meaningful experience not only for them but for those in need. Along with Feeding America as our philanthropic partner and Freestore Foodbank as our primary local charity, we help agencies in need throughout the community through monetary, goods, and time donations.
Our fall philanthropy event is Watermelon Bash. This event is one of the largest and most well-known philanthropy events within Greek Life. During this event, Greek Life teams compete for the golden mallet by participating in various games involving bashing non-edible watermelons. Along with this, we hold a non-perishable food drive partnered with UC Athletics and the UC Women’s Volleyball Team. During the spring, you can see the brothers on the front lawn of the chapter house riding a teeter-totter for 76-hours straight as we raise money for Freestore Foodbank during the Teeter-Totter-Thon. We also hold a separate night of mac and cheese dinners we sell to the community, with proceeds going to Freestore Foodbank. Along with these philanthropy events, we also give our Thursday nights to serve at Freestore Foodbank, help tutor students, work the Rubber Duck Regatta, and much more.
With all the opportunities that are given to us through our chapter, we can say that we have made a significant impact in our community. In the 2018-2019 academic year, we had an average of 25 hours per brother, with a total of 650 hours back to our community. Additionally, we were able to raise over $2,500 and donate close to 6,000 pounds of food to those in need with help from Freestore Foodbank. These numbers increase every year, and our totals doubled from what we collected in the 2017-2018 academic year. We will continue to strive to be the best men we can be for each other, our fraternity, and our Cincinnati community.
