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Something we pride ourselves in at Theta Chapter at UMass Amherst is being active and involved not only on campus but also in the community. Each year we collectively log thousands of hours for community service, strive to establish strong relationships with Amherst Police Department and Fire Department, and are involved in dozens of local and national charitable organizations.
Philanthropy
Fearing Street Festival - Fall 2016
On October 2nd, 2016, Theta Chi hosted The Fearing Street Festival which was our second event held in collaboration with the Amherst/UMass Fire and Police Departments. The event was hosted just a minutes walk from the Southwest Residential area and it brought hundreds of students together with officers whom enjoyed free food, inflatables, and a large screen viewing of the Patriot's game. The goal of the event was to establish better relationships between the student body, Greek Life, and local law enforcement.
See the media coverage we received from the event!
G.I. Theta Chi - 5k Walk/Run
Our 3rd annual G.I Theta Chi proved to be another successful race with over 100 participants and over $2,000 dollars raised for the United Services Organization(USO). The USO is a nonprofit organization that provides various services, programs, and assistance to United States service members and their families. In 1856, Theta Chi was founded by two military cadets and so 160 years we still provide support to the services men and women of our country. Our 100 participants completed a course that trekked through the buildings, tunnels, and hills of the UMass campus. Participants were able to recieve free samples from Red Bull, Muscle Milk, Southern Tide, and other companies who sponsored the event.
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UMass UDance FTK for the Baystate Children’s Hospital
Each Spring, we raise money and awareness for the UDance Marathon hosted by For The Kids organization. This event benefits the Baystate Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts and this past Spring's event was an enormous success. Our brothers were able to raise over $5,000, exceeding last year’s total by over 250%. As a result of our outstanding commitment to fundraising for the event, we were selected by the UDance Executive Board to sponsor one of the Baystate Children’s patients throughout the event, an experience that many brothers found to be a truly humbling honor.
In February 2016, Theta Chi hosted its First Annual Building Bridges Barbeque. The event, with sponsorship from Dunn & Philips Law P.C., brought students and law enforcement together in a positive environment for a cookout with the objective of reducing the hostilities between students and law enforcements, stressing the message that law enforcement isn’t trying to be a buzzkill but rather wishes only to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all students and surrounding community members. This event was attended by over 300 UMass students, who learned about fire safety from the Amherst Fire Department and talked to representatives from Dunn & Phillips P.C. and officers from Amherst Police Department about how we can create a more respectful and mutualistic relationship between the law enforcement and the students on our campus.
See the media coverage from this event:
Or click the links below.
Building Bridges Barbeque
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Various Other Efforts
The Brothers of Theta Chapter worked to increase our philanthropic presence by reaching out to many local and nationwide organizations and offering to help them with anything they might need.We often participate in the Mass Impact Day of Service, a day devoted to helping businesses and other organizations through the town and surrounding communities. In the past year alone, our Brothers have volunteered for, fundraised, or sponsored the following organzations and many more:
Amherst Survial Center
American Red Cross
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County
Service trips to Haiti and South Africa
Relay For Life
Habitat For Humanity
Craig’s Doors Homeless Shelter