The BIG Event

     This past weekend many of our sisters participated in the Big Event, the largest service event that Florida State takes part in. The Big Event is a day dedicated to volunteer service, consisting of different organizations being paired with various community service projects around Tallahassee in need of volunteer work, with volunteers coming from FSU, FAMU, and TCC. All volunteers for the Big Event gathered together in the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, experiencing an opening ceremony with speakers and performers before setting off for their respective service projects.

     Our Beta Eta sisters were paired with Sowing Seeds Sewing Comfort Ministry, a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth and empowerment of the Tallahassee community by providing life skills. Skills taught by the ministry include sewing, culinary skills, gardening, marketing and budgeting, along with collecting and distributing food to members of the community. With the ministry currently in need of gardening supplies, yard work, and house work, our sisters set out to assist them in doing just that. Alpha Chi's spent the day helping those that run the ministry by organizing their home and ministry supplies to make the amenities of the facility more accessible and easier for the ministry to use. They did this by doing yard work and organizing supplies around the house, along with making connections with those that make Sowing Seeds Sewing Comfort possible.

     One of our volunteers, and our Community Service Chair, Anna Marie Parisi, said that the service they took part in at the Big Event was "A great experience because we not only were able to volunteer, but also had the chance to connect with those that run the ministry about the work they do for it." We are so thankful to have sisters dedicated to helping others, and are so proud of their participation in the Big Event 2019!!

More Than Spring "Break"

While many sisters spent their spring break relaxing at home or traveling to beaches near and far, a few sisters spent their week-long break volunteering out of the country.

Sisters, Mackenzie Hall and Carly Roman (also big and little), traveled together to Ecuador to participate in MEDLIFE's medical mission trip. While in Ecuador, they helped rural communities receive critical access to health care. They also helped build a staircase that allowed the community in Riobamba, Ecuador to receive important resources, such as electricity. Despite long days of work, they were still able to explore Ecuador and see mountains, volcanoes, and waterfalls nearby. Carly stated that "the area was absolutely beautiful and so was the experience". Several other colleges across the United States, including USC and Ohio State, also participated in this particular mission trip.

Shannon Nichols, a Communications Science & Disorders major, flew to Guatemala to spend her spring break working with hearing-impaired locals in the area. Alongside fellow classmates and professors within her major, she helped perform 200 hearing tests, allocated 55 hearing aids, and even assisted in constructing a home for a single-mother in Panajachel, Guatemala. Shannon felt that this trip gave her a whole new perspective on the world and reaffirmed her passion for her major. She said that this trip "made me realize that my future profession will truly make a difference in people's quality of life".

These three women are just a few of the many sisters in our chapter that have an undying passion to help others. We are all extremely proud of your selflessness and the life-changing impacts you have made on people all across the world. We hope that one day, we will all be able to make as big of an impact on the world as you three have!

Lacy Scherer with ISV in Australia #FSUAXOSummer

Lacy Scherer is currently in Australia working with International Student Volunteers!

"This month I am working with a group, International Student Volunteers (ISV), which is a group for students that gives them the opportunity to both learn more about the environment and explore the world. I just got finished volunteering for 2 weeks in Newcastle, Australia, where we worked on 2 different projects. The first was working in the Hunter Wetlands National Park, where we were cleaning and doing outdoor work in efforts to help the flow of migratory birds. The second project was trail building in Alynbrook, which is in the mountains!

"During volunteering, we also have plenty of free time, where we get to explore the town and hangout in the city. The second two weeks, which I am just now starting, is the adventure tour, where all 26 of us volunteers throughout Australia get together and are traveling up the east coast of Australia. We hit many major spots, such as going to the opera house, surfing in Byron bay, going to the Great Barrier Reef, rappelling down mountains, scuba diving, etc. We have an activity for almost everyday we are here!"