National Spirit of Service Award Application

Eta Gamma has been exceeding in service in the Columbia community as well as for
Make-A-Wish. During the Fall 2021 semester, Eta Gamma was recognized by the University of
South Carolina Fraternity and Sorority Life Office as the chapter that completed the most service
hours (7,595 hours) and raised the second highest amount of philanthropy dollars ($37,545).
These eye catching numbers were achieved through events put on by our philanthropy cardinal
cabinet head, community service cardinal cabinet head, and our members being involved in on
and off campus service.
Eta Gamma has two philanthropy events throughout the school year: War of the Wings
in the Spring and Chi O Cook Off in the Fall. War of the Wings is a chicken wing eating
competition where organizations at UofSC can create teams of 5 people to compete. This event
fosters friendly competition and is educational about Make-A-Wish. Chi O Cook Off is a
philanthropy event that revolves around some sort of cooking competition each year. This year
teams made from organizations on UofSC’s campus were judged on their abilities to cook a
hotdog and hamburger. At Cook Off there is music, line-dancing, face-painting, as much food as
you can eat and we even had a mechanical bull!
Eta Gamma also works closely with the Make-A-Wish South Carolina branch. This year
we were able to host our first wish party in two years! We helped them throw a wish party for
Abby, a 15 year old girl whose wish was to go to the Virgin Islands and swim with dolphins. For
her party we made her a banner that looked like a postcard from the Virgin Islands, made
bracelets with seashells and beads, had snacks, and had the best time getting to know her and
her family as well as the lovely staff from the MAW SC office that attended.
Outside of our philanthropy, Eta Gamma loves to help the Columbia community and our
sisters. During the Spring 2022 semester, Eta Gamma has hosted a food drive for Harvest Hope
(a local food bank), an item drive for a local women’s shelter that all of the UofSC Panhellenic
chapters participated in, participated in a Panhellenic dress drive, partnered with another
chapter to host a blood drive, formed a Chi Omega Relay for Life team, formed a Chi Omega
Dance Marathon team, and helped one of our own sisters raise money for the Last Call
Foundation (the philanthropy of her choosing) as she trains to participate in the Boston
Marathon.
Eta Gamma has also been volunteering to help a local blind man named George for over
15 years. Our sisters go to visit him several days a week logging over 300+ total hours per
semester. We help him read his mail, drive him to run errands such as to the post office, grocery
store, and doctors appointments, teach him how to adapt to the newest technology, train his
dog, and clean his house. George has become family to Eta Gamma. We bring him to all of our
philanthropy events, house brunches, and one of our sisters has even brought him to their
Thanksgiving dinner!
Giving back to our community and being able to support our philanthropy is a trait that
brings Eta Gamma immense joy. Each one of our sisters, whether volunteering on or off
campus, cultivates the spirit of service for which name stands and oath declares.