The University of Rhode Island’s Greek Life has raised over $57,000 for its annual philanthropy week, which isn’t set to begin until November.
This year’s philanthropy week is from Nov. 17-22 and will focus on the theme of mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
“We chose philanthropies that are relevant because they were us,” Greek Life Vice President of Philanthropy and Service Olivia Vendas said. “These kids [that the foundations are in remembrance of], they went to school, they had their whole futures ahead of them and I really do think the system failed them.”
This year’s theme was chosen because of the suicide that happened last school year, according to the Greek Life director of service and involvement, Drew Conroy.
“I think [this year’s theme] is a great way to get people to donate money to something that has a real effect on them and something that other people will care about outside of URI,” Conroy said.
Greek Life wanted to focus on something that every student has some connection to or has been impacted by in the past, according to Vendas.
“The statistics are so scary,” Vendas said.
One in 10 college students have reported contemplating suicide, according to the Jordan Porco Foundation , one of this year’s philanthropies.
“[Jordan Porco] was a freshman in college when he died by suicide,” Vendas said. “It’s hard because we are college students, he’s one of us.”
Another one of this year’s philanthropies is Mallory’s Army, chosen because of Vendas’s connection to the organization. Vendas’s sister was a friend of Mallory Grossman, who was cyberbullied and committed suicide, according to Vendas. The organization promotes kindness among students and educates parents on how kids connect with their world both online and at school, according to the Mallory’s Army Foundation.
“I knew I wanted to make a difference not only in the community I am in here now, but the community I have at home,” Vendas said.
The other philanthropies being supported this year are P.S. I Love You and the Chris Collins Foundation. The P.S. I Love You Foundation aims to provide kids with the skills to manage their emotions, form positive habits and maintain healthy relationships. The Chris Collins Foundation aims to advance education in regard to mental illness in an effort to eliminate the stigma associated with it.
The primary motivation for raising money this year is to raise awareness to how impacted students are by suicide and help lower death rates by suicide, according to Vendas.
“If even doing this week can prevent one family from having to deal with that nightmare then we did more than we can ever even imagine,” Vendas said.
This year’s goal is to raise $70,000, but Greek Life is confident that they will surpass this goal, according to Conroy.
“I think the Greek community does a really great job at caring when it comes to that [philanthropy], and especially on this topic,” Vendas said. “I think Greek Life takes mental health really seriously.”
Last year’s philanthropy, which was in support of sexual assault and domestic abuse awareness, raised $135,000, according to Vendas. In 2022 they raised $134,000 and in 2021 they raised $109,000.
Greek Life is also organizing events during philanthropy week for their 3,500 members, according to Vendas and Conroy. These events include a powderpuff game on Nov. 17, a capture the flag game on Nov. 21 and a “So You Think You Can Dance” competition on Nov. 22.
Students who aren’t involved in Greek Life can still participate by donating to the philanthropies, through the crowd change which can be found on the Greek Life Instagram @uri_greeklife .