Every sorority has some type of philanthropy. This means that they focus on raising money and doing service for a particular cause. Before going through recruitment, I had never even heard of the word “philanthropy.” At almost all colleges, a specific day or two of recruitment is set aside to focus on the philanthropy of each specific chapter. When I was a PNM (potential new member), I did not care as much about that day as I did for other days, like skit day or preference day. I was so focused on the fun aspect and sisterhood of sorority life that I did not pay enough attention to the part of my potential sorority that really mattered most: philanthropy.
This is a story about how being on the other side of recruitment made me appreciate our philanthropy so much more.
I am a member of Phi Mu Alpha Omicron at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, MS. Our philanthropy is known as Children’s Miracle Network. CMN supports children’s hospitals. We do two events each year to raise money. In the fall, we put on an event known as Bonnamu, and Milkshakes for Miracles is our spring fundraiser. Being that this past year was my first year as a Phi Mu, I fell in love with these events! I knew they were for a good cause! The problem was that I fell in love with the EVENTS, not the purpose of the events. Deep in my heart, I knew that we had an incredible philanthropy that changed lives all over the United States, but I never took the time to learn details and listen to stories.
Our chapter takes trips throughout the year to visit our local CMN hospital, Blair E. Batson, in Jackson. I was scheduled to go on one, but due to nasty weather it was cancelled. It was not until this summer, the Monday before recruitment, that I truly began to learn why CMN is so amazing.
The drive from Hattiesburg to Jackson is about an hour and 30 minutes long. My car could not contain its excitement. Three out of the four people in the car were going for their first time. Each minute that passed made us more giddy than before. We were finally seeing what CMN was all about. Once the hospital was finally in our view, the screams of excitement could not be stopped. On the outside, it was so colorful. But as we approached the inside where the lobby was, the colors were endless. The walls were covered in every color, every animal, every design you could imagine. There were no frowns. I didn’t see a speck of the color grey in sight. The nurses had on bright scrubs. The tiles on the roof were bright and beautifully painted canvases. All of us could not help but to smile the entire time. This is what CMN does. Because they are hospitals for children, they do not want children or the families of the children to feel upset about their illness.
We were split into groups and brought to different floors of the hospital. Some of us did karaoke with the patients, while some painted golfballs with children as a craft. I was unable to visit with any children, but I was fortunate to meet some nurses and volunteers that gave me insight into Blair E. Batson. The nurses I talked to were absolutely in love with their jobs. Saying that they care about these children is an understatement; those nurses lived for those children. They knew all of the patients by name and knew their families, too. They knew which children would play with each toy. They devoted their lives to making Blair E. Batson hospital a place that these children could call home for as long as they needed.
Leaving the hospital was tough for all of us. We just wanted to stay there with the kids for as long as we could, but it was time for us to leave. After saying goodbye to everyone and taking some pictures with the Blair E. Batson mural (of course), we were headed back to Hattiesburg.
After a few days had passed, it was recruitment time. As I stood on the wall during Philanthropy Day, I watched the same video about CMN over and over again. Every. Single. Time. I got chills. As I went talk to a PNM about our philanthropy, I was blown away each time by how much they seemed to care about Children’s Miracle Network. One girl let me know that she desired to be a pediatric nurse in a few years. The video had touched her heart because she could see herself falling in love with Children’s Miracle Network and possibly one day seeking employment. The PNMs wanted to know all about my trip there. I was able to tell them about my entire experience. The smiles around the brightly decorated room were endless. All of the chapter members were dressed in bright pink and bright yellow to imitate the feeling that people get when they walk into Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Recruitment is a rough week. It is tiring and long. As exhausting as it was for everybody involved, I think my entire chapter can say that Philanthropy Day this year made each of us a better person in one way or another. Whether it was learning a little bit more about our philanthropy than we did before, or talking to someone who made them realize that people are actually good and naturally want to help other people, I grew on philanthropy day. I fell in love with Children’s Miracle Network. I hope that after reading this, you take the time to research what CMN is. If you do, I guarantee you’ll fall in love, too.
Children’s Miracle Network is the philanthropy for Phi Mu, but every chapter has their own incredible cause that they support and raise money for. Sororities are more than parties, pins, traditions, and socials. Every chapter on every campus has something that they believe in wholeheartedly. It took me some time to really grasp that idea, but I am now fully aware of it.
