Friday, April 10, 2009

What our philanthropy means to us...





As the largest active Asian-interest sorority on campus, we use our strength in numbers to spread awareness around our surrounding community on a issue that is commonly overlooked. For the past 5 years, Sigma Psi Zeta Tau Chapter has contributed back to the community by helping at numerous DV shelters, hosting DV self-defense workshops, educating the community through the distribution of pamphlets and awareness ribbons, and last but not least our annual participation in the Clothesline Project, plus much much more!

With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, our lovely philanthropy chair Donna Ryu planned a plethora of events for the entire month. Each and every one of these events successfully increases awareness about an issue that affects 13.7 percent of female undergrad students! In addition to planning great philanthropic events for sisters and the community at large, Donna also directed a great video that delves into common questions that people have on the issue. The video includes narration from a community outreach coordinator who did a great job of informing us about what DV is and how it should be handled. The camera also caught up with CP students to see how they view DV in the college community and beyond.

Recently Past Events
:

*Survivor Garden Dedication – This was the kick off event for Sexual Assault Awareness Month . It is the biannual Survivor Garden vigil where people gatherd to listen to a DV survivor speak.
*Self Defense Class - Donna's friend Steve Lim taught Sigma sisters self defense routines in case she were to ever find herself in a dangerous situation!
*Yami Yami Philanthropy Fundraiser- eating yummy sushi and bubble tea to raise money for the Domestic Violence Resource Project in D.C.

Upcoming Events:

*Silent Vigil with Teal & Purple* April 14 (outside of the cultural center in the outdoor amphitheater at 7pm)
This is a silent vigil to remember the victims of DV and
sexual assault. A victim of sexual assault will be reading some poems
she has written about her experiences. Giving us a first hand experience to feel the trauma of being a sexual assault victim.

*Clothesline Project * April 16 (Hornbake Plaza Mall 8am-5pm) -
This is one of our biggest philanthropy events of the year! At this event, victims
of DV/sexual assault put their feelings on a t-shirt to "clean out the dirty
laundry of society". The UMCP health center sponsors this event to bring out the
emotions that are so often kept inside of these victims. Feelings of anger, sadness, depression, etc.

COME OUT AND SUPPORT!

PS- Congrats to my lovely pledge sister Jackie *Hanaiko* Tseng for becoming a certified Violence Intervention Assistant!! <3


Doreen *rampage* Wu
Tau Iota

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