Philanthropy

The Partnership

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity is proud to partner with YouthAIDS, an organization that coordinates widespread global initiatives for the purpose of helping the youth of the world fight against the threat and of HIV and AIDS. YouthAIDS programs are designed to educate these young people in order to help them protect themselves from the devastation that this virus brings. Effectively utilizing mass media and popular culture, this organization has become well known throughout America through television commercials, celebrity endorsements, large scale advertisements, and a popular internet following.

DC Alpha Efforts

    The brothers of the DC Alpha chapter have taken a serious interest in helping this organization and its noble cause. We have recognized that HIV/AIDS is not just a problem in third-world nations, or a problem that only affects people that lead certain risky lifestyles; by merely living in Washington DC, we have seen the grip this virus has on much of our nation’s capital. It is this reason why our chapter has realized that we have a real opportunity to do something of value and note. It is our duty to not only raise money to benefit YouthAIDs, but to raise awareness as well. It is our goal to make all GWU students and its surrounding community aware of the facts surrounding HIV/AIDS.

YouthAIDS "Kick Me Campaign"
    The brothers of DC Alpha, working with the National Headquarters of YouthAIDS, hosted famous rapper and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, at the Betts Theater in the Marvin Center, to speak about AIDS education and awareness. This presentation was a part of the YouthAIDS national Kick Me Campaign designed to increase AIDS awareness. The event, held on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2006, was the culmination of a 4 school tour, which included stops at UCLA, Northwestern University in Chicago, and NYU.

    To prepare for this visit, the brothers of DC Alpha set out on the largest fund-raising project our chapter, national fraternity, and the George Washington University has ever seen from a student organization. With an original goal of raising $10,000, every member sought out friends, relatives, and other acquaintances to convince them to donate to this pressing cause. Additionally, as a chapter, we reached out to sororities such as newly re-colonized Pi Beta Phi (who raised a remarkable $4,500), Delta Gamma, and Sigma Kappa, as well as local companies such as Pita Pit and DC Snacks (founded by SigEp Alum).

    By the time December 1 came, we as a chapter had raised more than $21,000. Combined with the donations from the sororities, and a matching donation of $10,000 from Kiehls, a YouthAIDS corporate sponsor, Sigma Phi Epsilon was able to raise more than $35,000 for YouthAIDS. Combined with a great audience, which consisted of students from School Without Walls, as well as several student organizations, and presentation by Ludacris, we feel this event is one of the most successful philanthropy events in both Sigma Phi Epsilon’s and George Washington University’s history.

"SigEp Santa"
    Because we want to instill these philanthropic values in our new members, we make it a requirement each year to plan and organize an event by themselves. It allows them to get closer to each other while accomplishing a productive task at the same time. This past fall, for the third year in a row, the new members organized and executed SigEp Santa.

    SigEp Santa is a philanthropic cookie delivery service during the weeks preceding Winter Break. It is designed to raise money for YouthAIDS, but its main purpose is to increase our involvement around campus. This year, the internal philanthropy chair, brother Ted O’Neill, headed up this project. He, along with the rest of the Fall 2006 Sigma Class, took orders around campus, made chocolate chip cookies in our kitchen and in the kitchens of some neighboring sorority houses, packaged up the cookies, and then delivered them to their intended recipients. The money collected from the delivery orders all went to YouthAIDS, besides the portion needed to purchase ingredients. During the Fall of 2006, the Sigma class raised more than $300.

What is YouthAIDS?

The statistics are staggering. An estimated 12 million people aged 15 to 24 are now living with HIV/AIDS. Half of those newly infected with HIV today are between 15 and 24 years old. The world's youth are hardest hit by the disease, but they are also the key to overcoming it. YouthAIDS is a global initiative implemented by Population Services International in December 2001. YouthAIDS programs are designed to generate funding and educate and protect young people from a life of HIV/AIDS. Through mass media, theater, music, fashion and sports, YouthAIDS promotes abstinence, decreased sexual activity and safer sex in seventy countries. Visit www.youthaids.org to find out more.