Wearing para at philanthropy/service events
 

Do your undergrad and/or alumni chapters wear your GLO name or letters to service events? I am volunteering with a few fellow alum sisters at a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation walk in a few weeks, and was planning to wear an alum baseball hat. We will probably be wearing event t-shirts that way, so I am not wearing a letter shirt.

Obviously we are a service sorority, and I remember that as an undergrad, we wore letters to a lot of events. Is it in poor taste to get your name out there? What do you think about "advertising" or PR in general?

There is no longer a chapter at my school, but our alumnae chapter is pretty active.

A lot of my Sorors wear the symbols. I don't own much 'nalia so I will wear red.

I don't see it as advertising as much as it's explaining who the group of women sponsoring the event or doing the service are, since folks DO ask sometimes.

It has honestly never occurred to me that I wouldn't do so ... at an event where I would get dirty or gross in some way, of course, I wouldn't, but otherwise, why not?

My chapter sorors always wear our letters, name, and/or colors proudly when we volunteer. (DSTRent13 had a good point about not your letters dirty when painting a house, cleaning a street, etc.) Why wouldn't we want everyone to know that our organization is doing its part to better the community?

Besides, it is a nice way to get positive personal PR rather than the usually negative press that is broadcasted across airwaves and plastered across headlines.

if i were a parent of a child with a disorder, or someone else benefitting from that activity, i would like to know which organizations felt it was necessary to participate. Companies plaster their names all on events, why shouldnt we show who we are to younger girls and boys so that they know when they get older that we may be what they want to be.

Exactly! Show the world that greek life is more than what they hear on their nightly news. That we really care about the community!:D

Thanks for the replies! :)

My organization encourages our members to where letters at all philanthropic/service events. Sometimes people are surprised that we're Greek and actually doing community service. I find that it helps dispel those stereotypes.

The only time we're asked not to wear letters is when we're drinking...

I always wear my letters when I do community service, with my sorority or not. I think it's a great way to get our name out there and show that we have girls who are involved in the community.

<===Will wear para to the March of Dimes WalkAmerica on Sunday. :D

^^^ You better do it, SisterGreek! ;) I encourage everyone to wear their letters at March of Dimes/Walk America. That's one event where I usually see a nice representation of Divine 9 working in the community doing a variety of tasks. It's always one of my favorite community events.

Tau Beta Sigma has a team and will be wearing para to the Charlotte AIDS Walk in May. :)

SisterGreek Joja, this will be my 3rd year participating in March of Dimes. Some chapter members walk, while others pass out refreshments to the walkers. The D9 ALWAYS come out and participate.

I just have to figure out which jacket I'm gonna rock. It's usually chilly during the early hours, but warms up nicely towards the end of the walk. We usually pick a place to have lunch afterwards. :D

Some D9 orgs have more representation than others, but you're right when you say we come out.

My sorors will be walking, and other sorors will be volunteering in the Kiddie Korner as we have done since before I was a soror. Hey! That was my first community service project when I was officially "expressing my interest" in Sigma! :D Memories....

I think wearing letters to events like the one you are speaking of is fantastic.

There isn't really anything in the media, at least not as wide-spread as the MTV fiasco, that gives Greeks a bad name, right now, but anything can happen and I think that as long as service oriented sororities (and fraternities) are getting out in public arenas (like a CF walk or Relay for Life, etc) and sporting letters and putting on a good face, it will be harder for people to get sucked in to the party girl/party guy, hazing, prejudicial, negative images of Greek life.