OUR PHILANTHROPY
Our Philanthropy - Serving Underserved Youth
We as a fraternity believe in fostering positive upbringings for underserved youth through creating beneficial & nurturing environments, providing educational resources, and raising awareness for their struggles in order to find solutions to them. We also value the development of leadership, friendship and service in our Fraternity’s Brothers and seek to foster those values in today’s youth.
Message from our partner: Boys & Girls Club
Volunteers are a blessing to the club because first, it shows our members that they are worth someone’s time. Time is a commodity you really don’t get reimbursed for when you choose to volunteer, so spending time with our kids shows they have value and worth to you. Also, volunteers sometimes make inroads where we sometimes can’t. Recently we had siblings join the club and they were very defensive and standoffish with the staff here. We are seen as authority figures and until they get to know us over time it can be hard to build relationships with kids, especially ones that have had negative interactions with authority previously. Volunteers came in, just talked to these two, played games with them and listened to them just talk, something the staff do not always have the luxury of doing as they have to supervise so many. Watching these two laugh, play and be silly with others helped break down their walls and see the club as a place that could be fun for them. It truly means the world to have volunteers that take the time to play with our kids. Another child was feeling lost and not a part of things as her friend had not been attending and a volunteer took the time to sit with her, watch her draw and listen to the stories of her characters and her plans for her comic book. It completely changed her demeanor and sense of connection and being cared about. Just by watching her draw, it really is a huge thing, it was the first time she had smiled in a week! By spending a few hours at the Boys & Girls Club you have given a child a sense of belonging & connection that would have taken us a lot longer to build. So, thank you so much for your time and dedication to our kids!
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A message from some of the kids we work with @ the Boys & Girls Club!
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MONARCH HIGH SCHOOL
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With underserved youth being Alpha Delta’s philanthropy, I chose to focus on serving young adults/teenagers this semester. I believe the support and aid that we are able to give to older youth through unique opportunities will not only be more impactful for our brothers, but the young adults in our community as well. As we grow older, there are more challenges and obstacles that hinder our success and some teens may not have the support or guidance needed to overcome them. Our brothers have various experiences that can help teens in our community with different social or academic challenges they may face. Our hope is to be the helping hand, mentor, or friend that underprivileged young adults in San Diego need.
With that being said, our brothers will be helping the teens/young adults of Monarch School. Monarch School is a K-12 public school under the County of San Diego that works with homeless students to help them develop hope for a future with essential skills and resources for personal success. This organization develops students through social growth, emotional support, academic growth, and life skills. I chose this organization to support because I believe our brothers have the tools to help these students through our experiences growing up and different skills we have acquired. This semester, as stated before, one of my goals is to focus our attention and help towards young adults/teenagers in our community. Throughout the months, we will be raising money to donate to Monarch School and Just In Time for Foster Youth through events and fundraisers. Furthermore, our brothers will have the chance to make an impact on these students first-hand by giving them a campus tour and completing a service project with them during Spring Youth Service Day. Brothers will also have the opportunity to help improve Monarch School by organizing clothing donations for the students. Overall by working with these organizations that assist young adults, we hope to make their individual paths to personal growth and success much clearer and brighter. The Impacts of Impacting YouthWant to share your philanthropy experience? Click HERE.
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Wilson Deng, Phi Class (F '18) — "I think one of the best gifts we can give others is our time. So, on Thursday, February 28, 2019, a group of APhiO members and I spent our afternoon volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club located on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego. What might seem as simple as playing recreational activities with kids, helping them with their homework, drawing, and organizing supplies was truly an enriching experience. It made me reflect on my youth as an elementary school student. Was I just as loud, rowdy, and energetic? Or do I remember myself as the quiet, reserved, shy kid?
During this service event, I had the privilege of connecting with a few kids. However, most impactfully, I appreciated the opportunity to work with kids of different age groups. At one point, I got to sit down with a kid that was crying, provided comfort, and then successfully encouraged him to rejoin the group of kids to play games again. At another time, I got to help a girl plan out her next party -- she had some mad programming planning skills, and you should've seen her flyer drawing!
On a deeper note, this service event reminded me of the importance of giving back to youth; and understanding how issues such as mental health, education, youth empowerment, and well-being are prevalent issues when it comes to working with underserved youth. The kid I sat down with, easily could have been a case of mental health, bullying, etc. Working with kids is definitely not easy and demand a lot of patience and emotional energy, but it can also be so rewarding."
During this service event, I had the privilege of connecting with a few kids. However, most impactfully, I appreciated the opportunity to work with kids of different age groups. At one point, I got to sit down with a kid that was crying, provided comfort, and then successfully encouraged him to rejoin the group of kids to play games again. At another time, I got to help a girl plan out her next party -- she had some mad programming planning skills, and you should've seen her flyer drawing!
On a deeper note, this service event reminded me of the importance of giving back to youth; and understanding how issues such as mental health, education, youth empowerment, and well-being are prevalent issues when it comes to working with underserved youth. The kid I sat down with, easily could have been a case of mental health, bullying, etc. Working with kids is definitely not easy and demand a lot of patience and emotional energy, but it can also be so rewarding."
