When Pennsylvania State University students speak of "canning," they aren't referring to the artisanal packaging of produce and preserves in tin cans. At Penn State, "canning" refers to a statewide drive in which organizations disperse their students through nearly every city and town of size, dressed in sandwich boards, and bearing empty tin cans for donations. It's a massive fundraising effort for the Four Diamonds Fund, a university charity devoted to ending childhood cancer. Notes the Penn State Live, "organizations can raise more than $20,000 on a canning weekend." That's not chump change standing alone, and aggregates quickly given all the groups involved over four weekends scheduled throughout the year.
Although greeks are always heavily involved in the effort, this year the greek councils are trying to step up the motivation as interest typically wanes by the upcoming third such weekend of solicitations. The Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council held a joint event offering tips to maximize donations, promote safety, and present a positive image of greeks and the university. Nor was the event just a rallying cry for their own troops: the president of the local Zeta Psi said, "we're here talking to everyone, not just greeks," while the president of the local Alpha Xi Delta reminded participants to be safe when soliciting donations on unfamiliar street corners. Though there should be no violations of the law here; groups are sure to get municipal permits, unlike the typical canhandlers.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment