Greek Week 2024: Bridging campus and community for a greater good

Just as many look forward to the spring season on their calendars, there’s also an excitement surrounding a week in April. It’s Greek Week, a week-long fundraising event in partnership with Central Michigan University (CMU) and United Way of Gratiot and Isabella Counties. Annually, numerous CMU sororities and fraternities unite to support one non-profit organization in their community. United Way serves as a fiduciary for the fundraising, and connects students with non-profit agencies for their annual day-of-service event. 

Looking back at Greek Week 2023. Photo Courtesy Ally Law, Greek Week student committee member.
Ally Law is a senior at CMU, studying communication science and disorders, with plans to attend graduate school for speech pathology. She joined the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta - Alpha Upsilon during her freshman year of college in 2020. 

“I was looking to get involved on campus,” Law says of joining the sorority. “I met some amazing people that were a part of this organization and the Greek community, had an instant connection with them, and felt a lot of comfortability.”

Since then, Law has been able to grow herself in the community through leadership roles, such as becoming president of Alpha Gamma Delta - Alpha Upsilon in 2023, and vice president of finance in 2022. She is helping on the planning committee for Greek Week this year, focusing on the philanthropic and logistics sides. This year’s chosen nonprofit is the B#4 Foundation.

Greek Week kicks off on April 7 and runs through April 11, and includes multiple events on CMU’s campus with one similar goal: to benefit the community. 

Here’s a breakdown of the events:

• Sunday, April 7: Group photo of the 20+ participating organizations in Greek Week 2024. 
• Monday, April 8: Food fundraiser with Blaze Pizza, and keynote speakers (Annie Sanders from United Way and Terry Hessbrook from the B#4 Foundation). 
• Tuesday, April 9: Day-of-Service event, where students give back their time and efforts to the Instant Food Pantry, The Humane Animal Treatment Society (HATS), Isabella County Soup Kitchen, and Isabella County Child Advocacy Center (ICCAC). There is also a "Greeks Clean the Streets” cleanup event, a blood drive, and a “Greeks United for Moms’ Donation Drive” (open to the public). 
• Wednesday, April 10: “Minute to Win It” games and trivia
• Thursday, April 11: A mock rock competition rounds off the week from 6 to 9 p.m. at McGuirk Arena on CMU’s campus. This event is open to the public. 

“Greeks United for Moms” donation drive takes place Tuesday, April 9 in CMU’s Bovee University Center.
Greek Week’s final event on Thursday is open to the public, and one which Law encourages local families and residents to attend. 

“Each team throughout this past month has been practicing and getting together to come up with a dance they’ll be performing on Thursday,” she says. “It will be judged, and we’ll be announcing how much money we have raised throughout the week.”

Law says working with United Way has been great, and together, they’re able to have an even greater combined impact in the community. 

“United Way connects students with the nonprofit agencies for our day of service,” she says. “It’s important to not just raise money for this, but to also put forth our time. They were able to connect us with our foundation that we’re raising money towards, which is the B#4 Foundation.”

The goal is to raise $50,000 for the B#4 Foundation, which promotes mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The nonprofit honors the life and achievements of Ithaca High School student Brady Hessbrook who took his own life in January 2023.

“We thought that was a very relevant and important topic, especially to college students—that’s something they could connect with, and make a huge impact towards their new foundation, as well,” Law says. “We really thought it would be great to support a recent foundation to help get their feet on the ground running and push them forward for everything they want to achieve.”

Annie Sanders is the president and CEO of United Way of Gratiot and Isabella Counties. She says it is a joy to work in conjunction with CMU for the week-long fundraiser. 

“We are thrilled to be able to partner with the Greek community at CMU as they give back to our local community,” she says. “The impact that these students have on our local nonprofits through their efforts during Greek Week is immense. Mt. Pleasant is better because of them.”

“Together, we are able to achieve so much. Central Michigan University’s Greek Week demonstrates the impact that happens when we live united,” she adds.

Greek Week 2022 with the planning committee, when $65,000 was raised for RISE Advocacy. Photo Courtesy Ally Law, Greek Week student committee member.
Last year’s Greek Week raised over $50,000 for the Angel Wings Fund. Law enjoys being able to see the real, tangible difference these entities are able to make in their community. 

That supportive network has also been beneficial to her as a sorority member as well. While college can be a daunting experience, meeting people who care about the same type of things, like philanthropy and giving back, can be unifying. Making fundraising activities and finding enjoyable ways to donate your time and energy are inspiring. 

“It’s nice to see that we at CMU can make such an important cause directly to our community,” Law says. “I’ve always had such an appreciation for how much the school and this area has done for me. I’ve always wanted to reach out and give back to that community, and it gives us all unity and empowers us to address those local needs as well.”

Law is excited to kick off Greek Week soon and is looking forward to seeing partnering organizations and the campus come together for a good cause.