Every spring semester, my fraternity puts on an event called Homeless 4 Homeless. For 48 hours, brothers of my organization will emulate the homeless outside Wilson Commons, our Student Union building, as a way to raise awareness about the issues of homelessness right here in our own country. We also hope to collect donations from students, staff, and parents to donate to Habitat for Humanity, whose goal is to build homes for those in need.
This event really does accomplish a lot. First, it raises awareness. From my experiences, people often forget that the issue of homelessness in America is extremely prevalent. People are often so overwhelmed by the need for help around the world that they wrongly assume our nation is perfect. Raising awareness shows students at Rochester that if they are unable to travel to other countries to help others, they can help others right here in America. (Habitat for Humanity, though, also provides its philanthropic services around the world.)
This event also serves as a tool for the members of my organization to unite for a common cause. Similar events for philanthropic organizations are conducted by most organizations on campus, Greek and non-Greek, showing how much our diverse campus groups aim to support those who may be in need. We support a variety of charity organizations as well. Helping others doesn’t just have to happen through fundraisers, though. There are organizations on campus like UR Reading who go into the Rochester community and help students from various schools around our Rochester area.
I love how strong of an effort Rochester students make to help and support others.