alpha chi omega
University of South Carolina
Philanthropy
At the heart of Alpha Chi Omega is a commitment to community involvement that is both extensive and ongoing. Whether it’s a weeklong event dedicated to raising awareness and money to help fight domestic violence, volunteering at a local elderly residence community, supporting the philanthropic efforts of other organizations at USC, or participating in campus events such as Homecoming, Greek Week and Greek Intramurals, Alpha Chis proudly organize and get involved in a variety of community projects.
Our dedication to our philanthropy, Domestic Violence Awareness, is made apparent by every sister’s compassion and commitment to the cause.
1.3 million women are assaulted by their intimate partner each year. And South Carolina, home to Theta Upsilon, ranks 7th highest in the nation for reports of domestic violence. Every year, Alpha Chi hosts two huge fundraising philanthropy events to support Sistercare, a local women’s community center that assists women and children that have been affected by domestic violence.
1 in 4 women will fall victim to domestic violence at least once in her lifetime.
Jingle for Julie
In December 2011, our dear sister Julie Tamborino was diagnosed with leukemia. After a year long battle, Julie passed away in early January 2013.
Julie is a shining example of what it means to be an Alpha Chi Omega. Not only was she dedicated to her studies in the prestigious International Business Program, Julie was a part of the Executive Board. Right before her diagnosis she was elected Chapter President, but had to step down from her position because of her sickness. Julie went above and beyond the duties required as a member of Alpha Chi Omega. She not only attended every philanthropy event that we participated in, but was also a member of our intramural soccer team and was an extremely dedicated sister. She spent much of her time not only making sure our chapter was successful, but that each of her sisters were successful as well.
In honor of Julie, we hold a spring event, "Jingle for Julie," which is an even that remembers Julie. In recent year, the event hase been a Low Country Broil, but in 2016 we decided to make it a disney-themed carnival, in honor Julie and her family's love for all things disney. The event had carnival games, music, dancing, vendors, and of course, tons of food! The event has been extremely successful over the past four years, raising almost $11,000 the year it was launched. In 2017 we decided to host a "Wonderland" themed Jingle for Julie, following after her love for all things Disney and the movie Peter Pan. Her sister Catherine, an active member in our chapter, has helped make this event what it is today.
We also started a scholarship fund in Julie's name to open doors for members who are dedicated to our chapter but may have difficulty meeting financial obligations. The scholarship is given to a chapter member who embodies the qualities of Julie. Strong, dedicated and charismatic. We have already raised $45,000 for the Julie Tamborino Scholarship fund, but the number contiues to grow every day.
Paint War
Each October we hold our fall Philanthropic event, Paint War, with all proceeds going to Sistercare. The event, hopes to "paint away Domestic Violence", was hosted on the Greene Street Fields. This year, 700 people from different organizations on campus attended the event, were put into teams, and were given a specific paint color and a clean white sheet. The goal was for each team to keep their banner clean, despite the paint being thrown, which resulted in a lot of colorful people by the end of the event! We are so excited to host this event for a third time this upcoming fall.
The Alpha Male
In 2017, we started a new event called "The Alpha Male," which was a male beauty pageant. The event had an incredible turnout, and people were left full of laughter through different dances by the contestants and tears from Domestic Violence Survivors. Contestants were quizzed on Domestic Violence questions, had to perform a talent, and show off their personalities. Overall the event was a success and we ended the night raising over $8,500 for Sistercare. Each year Alpha Male gets better and better and has helped to keep promoting DVA!
Relay for Life
Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event which celebrates survivorship and raises money for research and programs of the American Cancer Society. Teams gather at Blatt P.E. Center where each team tries to keep at least one member on the track at all times. There is live music, food and different tents set up.
Alpha Chi forms a team every year and is consistently one of the top fundraising groups in the greek community - raising the most of any organization in 2017- over $12,000 for many more birthdays to come!
Dance Marathon
Every year Alpha Chi Omega participates in Dance Marathon, the Children’s Miracle Network fundraiser. The 14-hour event takes place in the Strom Thurmond Fitness and Wellness Center on campus in March. Each sister who participates raises at least $119 in support of Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital. This year our sisters helped raise a record-breaking $1 million for our local Children's Hospital!
Throughout the event, a 15-minute line dance is taught to the sisters by morale leaders, who keep everyone motivated through the 14 hours. This year, we had six sisters serve on the Dance Marathon committee as morale leaders. Alpha Chi alone raised $14,655 for the kids! We also received the USCDM Miracle Cup, tied for the first place fundraising team, and our own member, Erin Woods, received the FTK Fever award! We can not wait for USC Dance Marathon 2020!