Greek philanthropy filling corporate void

For the UW, a local community affected by a nationwide recession and united by the loss of friend Curtis Williams on May 18, philanthropy means more now than it ever did before.

Yet, when times are hard, philanthropy comes at a price. Despite the tighter wallets of companies like Boeing and Microsoft, many community organizations have found strong support from members of the UW community.

One community charity found a large donor in the UW fraternity Phi Gamma Delta.

A check-signing ceremony yesterday sealed the deal after members of Phi Gamma Delta completed a seven-day $25,000 philanthropy project, christened Sea to Summit, in mid May. The event is a relay of fraternity members traveling from the Pacific Coast to the Summit of Mount Rainier, using different modes of transportation -- swimming, running and even snowshoeing.

The event route began at Westport and ended 300 miles later with a climbing team reaching the summit of Mount Rainier.

Last year, the fraternity raised $15,000 for the Children's Hospital during the Sea to Summit event. This year, however, Phi Gamma Delta was able to raise more than $25,000 with support from the UW community.

The raised funds will help benefit Treehouse, a foundation offering foster children the opportunity to make their childhood special by providing the fees and equipment they need to do participate in the things they dream about.

The fraternity chose Treehouse after many articles in local and national newspapers urged people to support smaller local agencies through local donations. This is because a majority of their assets are raised through grassroots programs, which help reduce costs but limit the amount of people they are able to get in touch with.

When the economy slowed down, a large portion of the donations made by corporate donors became harder to get for small, local organizations. As a result, the fraternity felt Treehouse was a perfect benefactor.

"Treehouse is a great program," said Jeremy Kuhlmann, a member of the house and a junior business major. "The money we raised goes to local kids who don't have the opportunity to do the things many kids get, such as summer camp or learning an art. It is great inspiration to raise money like this when you know how much people are going to appreciate it."

"Philanthropy is a great way to show the UW community you really care about its well being and are not just in college to get a degree," said Scott Lacy, the philanthropy chairman for Phi Gamma Delta. "When tragedies strike, it is not just you and your friends who are affected, its everyone."

This motto has become a theme for their charitable efforts. Last year, Phi Gamma Delta raised $21,000 to benefit the Curtis Williams Foundation, through Run to the Roses, a jogging relay from Husky Stadium to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

"We wanted to show the UW community cared more about the players and not about going to the Rose Bowl," said Jeff Nellans, a junior and a member of Phi Gamma Delta. This attitude is consistent with the UW, where student-based events, both in the Greek community and outside it, have combined to raise millions of dollars over the past few years.

In 2001, the UW ranked 38 on a list of 400 institutions in terms of charitable giving, raising $225,575,162 for philanthropic efforts.