Greek organizations are known for their campus-wide philanthropies, some of which include Alpha Gamma Delta’s “Mr. DU,” Sigma Chi’s “Derby Days,” and most recently, Delta Gamma’s “Anchor Splash.”

Delta Zeta has sponsored an annual volleyball tournament in the fall for the past 14 years, donating an average of $2,500 to the hearing impaired. Rather than donating money, the DZ philanthropy chairs, Charla Kinkel and Max Maxwell, have searched high and low for opportunities in which the women of DZ can donate their time to the community. The spring quarter is jam-packed with various service opportunities the women can take advantage of.

On Friday, April 2, several DZs visited the Excelsior School for Girls, an organization that assists young women who have already undergone traumatic experiences, get back on their feet; attend school; and try to be “normal” teenagers.

The school was holding its first coed dance, so the DZ volunteers decorated the gym, served refreshments and got a chance to simply hang-out with the girls. Lindsay Fryer, one of the volunteers said, “I thought the girls at the school really enjoyed seeing us there and talking to other people their age.”

DZ also helped out at the 9News Health Fair on campus on April 18. In addition, they are helping with the registration tables at the March of Dimes Benefit Walk and the Boulder Bolder.

The sorority has also been collecting clothes to donate to the campus-wide Clothing Drive on April 30. Finally, a contribution DZ makes every spring is attending the Furry Scurry at Washington Park. At this event, volunteers can work the registration tables or the Pepsi booth.

This is an exciting opportunity because the girls are not raising money for a national organization; instead, they are getting out there and helping local friends, neighbors and the surrounding DU population. The reasoning behind such a large involvement in the community lies behind DZ’s founding principles of friendship, compassion and generosity.

The women of DZ have recognized that it feels great to give back and become involved at a local level, hence such an increase in their contributions to many charitable organizations.

The women of Delta Zeta hope to set a trend for other groups on campus to follow, improving the local community even more.