WILL KARR
Editor in Chief
All photos by CASSIDY PIERCE | Special to The Leader.
Sororities and fraternities often have the largest number of members out of all student clubs and organizations on campus. Meg Orrange, the philanthropy chair for Fredonia’s Greek Life sorority Sigma Kappa, believes that it is important for fraternities and sororities to use their numbers to give back.
The sorority recently hosted its annual event, “Jammin for Jessa,” on Wednesday, April 19, in the Williams Center to help raise funds for brain cancer research. The event is hosted annually in honor of Jessica Webber, a former member of Sigma Kappa, who passed in 2010 as a junior, after experiencing brain cancer for seven years.
Photo by CASSIDY PIERCE | Special to The Leader.
“Jessa was a very active member in Sigma Kappa. She loved her time with it. Even though she was sick, she still made it her priority to be a part of our organization,” Orrange said. “… We have been doing ‘Jammin for Jessa’ for a long time now, and all our proceeds go to Jessa’s Quest — an organization [created in honor of Jessa] to support children’s brain cancer research.”
The event featured performances by singers, acapella and dance teams. Orrange discussed her favorite part of the event.
“Being able to watch people’s faces during the ‘Jammin for Jessa’ concert when Orchesis [Dance Team] was performing is a feeling I will never forget,” Orrange said. “Everyone was having such a good time, and it just made me so happy knowing that we were able to raise money for such important causes.”
Photo by CASSIDY PIERCE | Special to The Leader.
This spring is Orrange’s first semester as the philanthropy chair for Sigma Kappa. Before entering into the role, Orrange set out goals that she wanted to accomplish. In addition to supporting cancer research, the sorority has set out to raise awareness to other causes.
“This semester I wanted to create an event that would support the Alzheimer’s research cause. Our main philanthropy is Alzheimer’s research and we do a lot with that in the fall. I created a spelling bee that featured members from every Greek Life organization on campus where all the funds went to Alzheimer’s research,” Orrange said. “… Next semester, I am very eager to take on planning our Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Last year, we raised over $3,600 and I am very excited to keep raising money for such an important cause.”
Overall, Orrange is looking forward to creating more opportunities for the sorority to give back.
“Giving back is one of the most rewarding experiences,” Orrange said. “I think a lot of people overlook giving back, but it should be something that organizations do.”