Philanthropy Cup competition kicks off
There’s a new competition on campus that can win students money while also serving the community with their favorite Registered Student Organization. The Philanthropy Cup competition, sponsored by the GIVE Center, kicks off for the first time this year to raise awareness and attendance of service projects in and around campus.
Returning RSOs at GCSU can sign up to be a part of the competition as late as today and new RSOs can sign up within one month of being recognized by SGA.
The competition awards points based on attendance at service and awareness events, setting up an information table about the group’s philanthropy, fundraising, collecting items and other service events. The group with the most points by April 19, 2010, will win a first-place prize of $500.
Kendall Stiles, director of the GIVE Center, worked with Paul Stiles, assistant director of the GIVE Center, to make the point system and guidelines for the competition. The Philanthropy Cup competition is new this year, but it is based off an old competition called the Dean’s Cup that ended three or four years ago.
“The Philanthropy Cup is an old service version of the Dean’s Cup,” Stiles said, “we tweaked it for student groups and (the GIVE Center).”
Gamma Sigma Sigma often won the Dean’s Cup, but not necessarily the service portion. The group has signed up to be a part of the Philanthropy Cup this year. Gamma Sigma Sigma is a national community service sorority, with Stiles serving as faculty advisor for the GCSU chapter.
The group works actively with the GIVE Center.
Beth Gaylor, service representative for Gamma Sigma Sigma, said that the sorority signed on to the competition because “it’s stuff that we are already doing,” in the service aspect.
“It’s our thing, it’s our passion, but this competition documents it. It shows people what we’re doing. We aren’t doing anything different for the competition,” Gaylor said.
Other RSOs such as Phi Mu, Delta Sigma Pi, Circle K, Kappa Delta, Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Delta Pi and Zeta Tau Alpha are competing as well. The minimum number of groups to have the competition is about 20-25 and groups can sign up in the GIVE Center.
There are points awarded to groups for individuals that are active in the GIVE Center, but the point is to work with your RSO.
“Here’s the kicker,” Stiles said, “it’s about a group, not an individual. It’s about getting your group together and doing service.”
The competition allows for students who do community service to get credit for their work without volunteering directly with the GIVE Center.
The cup takes a lot of “headaches, hard work, and time,” on Stiles part, but what they get in return is “so much bigger than headaches or time.”
“We do a lot,” Stiles said, “but (the cup) is to track (service) and focus on group effort and being involved allows us to know what’s going on and letting people know what students are actually doing.”
Another part of the cup is the service reflection project. Each group receives 10 points for each service reflection. The reflections can be in the form of essays, poetry, movies, pictures, songs and other creative pieces.
“The reflection was added to provide insight and make a difference,” Stiles said.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 2 2009. Filed under News.
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