WASHINGTON, PA (April 13, 2015) — The Greek community at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) extended their philanthropic work outside of the Washington, Pa. community this semester through a successful athletic clothing drive.
Emil Ihnat ’17 and Eziekel Stroupe ’16, both brothers of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, teamed up with the Delta Gamma sorority to hold a drive to provide athletic clothing for those in need. The idea came from Stroupe, who noticed Costa Rica’s lack of athletic equipment after his recent 2015 intersession trip there. He began to work with United Way to find a solution to help the people there.
“There were a lot of community soccer tournaments, and we saw parents and kids in jeans, and in the same shoes they wore to work or school,” Stroupe said. “I felt like we needed to give back because the people there were so friendly and were so thankful for everything, any gift you gave them they valued.”
Ihnat and Stroupe gathered clothing on their own at first, and then reached out to the W&J Greek community for donations. By the end of the drive they had collected 2036 different athletic attire items, which they donated to Costa Rica through United Way.
Although the clothing drive has come to an end, Ihnat and Stroupe plan to keep the philanthropy of Phi Psi going by holding a bowl-a-thon called Bowling for Bucs on April 18 at Route 19. It is $10 per player and will benefit the special education program at Washington Park Elementary by providing technologies, field trips, and ways to improve the classroom for the students.
Between the clothing drive and the upcoming bowl-a-thon, Ashley Broskey, Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life at W&J, said she could not be happier about the philanthropic success that is happening within the Greek community.
“One of the most gratifying aspects of fraternity and sorority life is the participation in community service and philanthropic events,” Broskey said. “I’m proud of the entire Greek Community for all their service hours and monies raised this past year. They will only continue to do amazing things and this clothing drive is one of them.”
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work.
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