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Though the bulk of my volunteer hours over the past 4 years came from my immersion experience, the remainder of the service I have taken part in through undergrad was in coordination with Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and the NeilStrong Foundation, culminating in a fundraising event organized by myself and one other fraternity brother and hosted by Phi Sigma Pi to benefit the NeilStrong Foundation in Spring of 2022.
Service event with Beta Rho initiate class at Bellevue State Park on October 16, 2021.
Phi Sigma Pi
Phi Sigma Pi
I joined the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity in spring of 2020. In addition to completing a requirement of 3 projects and 6 hours minimum of service each semester, I have served as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair and as an Initiate Advisor. As our chapter's first DEI chair in spring of 2021, I helped form the position and the role it plays in our fraternity, which included putting on events and acting as a resource and outlet for brothers in their individual and collective learning and growth. As Initiate Advisor in the following semester, I and my co-advisor led a group of 10 new members through a 6 week initiation program to teach them about our fraternity and what it means to be a brother.
Blood Drive in honor of Neil on November 16, 2021 at Penn State University.
NeilStrong Foundation
NeilStrong Foundation
The NeilStrong Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was created in August 2021 following the tragic passing of Neil Patel, who was one of my best friends from home. Neil was extremely dedicated to our community, and in his death, his family and friends have created NeilStrong to continue to give to the community in his memory. In the past year, NeilStrong has held a number of enormously successful blood drives, raised money for scholarships to local students, and made donations to other causes and organizations Neil was passionate about, most recently including the sponsorship of a music therapy program. Several of my friends and I, in an effort to honor our friend Neil and the love he had for our community, have volunteered at these various blood drives and fundraising events.
Wag & Walk
Wag & Walk
In spring of 2022, I had the incredible opportunity to organize and host a NeilStrong fundraising event of my own at University of Delaware with the help and support of my brothers in Phi Sigma Pi. One of my PSP brothers, Jake, went to high school with me and knew Neil well. So, at the beginning of the year, he approached me with an idea for a fundraiser at UD to benefit NeilStrong and show Neil's family how far Neil's impact has spread. We then spent the entire spring semester brainstorming, conferencing with the NeilStrong board and Neil's family, contacting local businesses to ask for their support, and working with our PSP brothers to put an event together on The Green. We came up with the idea to have a dog-themed day, wherein we invited people to bring their dogs to walk and play with students for an afternoon as well as participate in raffles and games for the purpose of telling Neil's story to people who never met him, but could appreciate the kind of community and joy that Neil brought those of us who did get to meet him. More information about the event and its conception can be found below.
Jake and I started planning the event at the beginning of the semester, first with picking a day that worked for Neil's family and then reserving the Green. We wanted to encourage students without dogs to come and enjoy the day, too, so we invited service dog teams from PAWS to join us. We recruited brothers to walk along Main Street with us to ask stores and restaurants to sponsor our raffle, and just to spread the word. We designed t-shirts for the day of, and sold them both at the pre-registration link, and on the day-of along with lots of other NeilStrong merchandise available for purchase. Overall, the day was very successful, raising just over $2,500 and showing the Patel family how far Neil's impact has spread, in addition to giving them and everyone else a fun, relaxing day with friends and new people in the NeilStrong community.
Between interning at Friendship House for 6 months, and volunteering at Phi Sigma Pi, NeilStrong, and Community Engagement service events, I was able to recognize the incredible sense of community that CEI had been teaching me about. I was able to realize the increased effectiveness and efficiency of the service I was doing when critical thinking and experience was used in planning to ensure that we weren't serving just for betterment of ourselves, but instead for the betterment and growth of the communities around us. Community engagement gave me the skills and the confidence to then put on a large service event of my own, and my communities came together to support me and the causes I care about in a beautiful and successful way.
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