In an effort to increase involvement and energize fundraising, this year’s Relay for Life is tapping into Greek Life and firing up some friendly competition for the cause.

The new initiative, which consists of a point-based system between chapters, was conceived by sophomore Katy Przybylski, who holds leadership positions in both the Women’s Panhellenic Association and Relay for Life. The event, which is hosted in over 5,200 communities and 20 countries and raises more than $400 million annually for the American Cancer Society, will take place on campus on April 11 this year.

According to Przybylski, the Women’s Panhellenic Association vice president of campus and community outreach as well as Relay for Life’s team development Greek Life chair, the new initiative involving Greek Life consists of a point system through which points are earned for Greek organizations by signing up members and raising various increments of money. The total amount raised by sororities so far is over $15,000, with AEPhi leading in both participants and fundraising with 34 participants and $4,000 raised.

TKE Philanthropy Chair and sophomore Bradley Schlesinger said his chapter has been enjoying the unique and inventive fundraising events, such as Human Bowling, which took place last Saturday in the Danforth University Center.

“When they have cool programming like that, it’s not hard to get significant portions of our chapter to sign up for it,” Schlesinger said.

“We definitely as a chapter want to do something to support it because there’s not anyone that hasn’t been personally affected or has known someone affected by cancer.

Illinois Holocaust Museum Hosts Symposium for 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide From Ambassador Morgenthau to Raphael Lemkin, to Franz Werfel and into the modern era of Jewish scholars working on and standing up for the Armenian Genocide discourse, Balakian noted that “the role Jews have played in bearing witness to and later defining the Turkish genocide of the Armenians has been profound.”

Smith spoke about the 70 anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and its impact on survivor culture of the 20th century, and he noted the seminal importance of Armin T.

SAITSA launches new philanthropic club | The Weal (Photo by Andy Maxwell Mawji/SAIT Polytechnic)

With more than half of the provinceas homeless population living in Calgary, there is a pressing need for additional services to accommodate their needs, and one student club is working to help fill that gap.

Ellie May Rosario, club president of Serendipity, seeks to play her part in assisting those who are less fortunate.

aI just want to do a little bit of good,a said Rosario.

Rosario is a mechanical engineering technology student currently in her second year at SAIT Polytechnic.

Having lived in numerous countries over the course of her youth, Rosario is no stranger to poverty.

She pointed out that the one country that had affected her most was India, where she lived for two years.

In India, 1.2 billion peopleaa third of the country’s populationalive in extreme poverty, according to the UN Millennium Development Goals report of 2014.

This statistic influenced her decision to help the poor.

aLiving there, it changes you,a she said.

The club is still relatively new, as it was initially conceived in December 2014.

A challenge that she currently faces is having members of the club formally set up a charity event.

It is something that she finds particularly difficult due to the difference in schedules, as well as a majority of the members being busy with midterms or their capstone projects.

For now, Rosario seeks to spread awareness of the clubas existence, recruiting members into the club before planning too far into the future.

However, she hopes to work with various institutions in Calgary, such as the Mustard Seed or the Calgary Drop-In Centre (DI), by helping the impoverished before she ends her term as the clubas president.

The DI is more than happy to work with Serendipity, according to external relations manager Jordan Hamilton.

aItas a wonderful initiative,a he said.

Although institutions like the DI, Mustard Seed, and various others are doing their best in dealing with Calgaryas current homeless population, help is always appreciated.

aNon-profits need help a they canat do it alone,a said Hamilton.

aCalgary needs more groups that involve people in poverty reduction. People have helped every one of us.

aWe now have a responsibility to help others.a

SAITSA is also open to working with Serendipity in their future endeavours.

a[Serendipity does] important charity work for the benefit of the general public,a said VP Student Life Thao Ngyuen.

SAITSA does some charity work as well, having worked with Calgary Food Bank and United Way.

aSerendipity has amazing initiatives to provide support to less fortunate people.a

Challenges, however daunting they are, have precisely offered the right circumstances to philanthropists to look and tackle old problems in new ways.

In trying to understand the realm of social innovation and finding out the best ways to catalyze social innovation, many Indian NGOs have comprehended the fact that the seeds of change are the civil society, community entrepreneurship and public-private collaborations.

A small innovation that brought a paradigm shift to the ongoing efforts in protecting the girl child in Rajasthan is the “Padharo Mahari Lado” campaign. When a social innovation is intended through collaboration, it is very necessary that it features a common agenda, unbroken communication, effective measurement systems, and the presence of a core organization.

With philanthropists changing their practices, the speed of change in the areas of need is now faster than before. Effective handholding of such community based organisations is a proven way of propelling change in communities across the country.

To catalyze and support social innovations, the NGOs acting as social venture philanthropists are more like engines for impact.

In preparation for building completion in May, coordinators with the Loveland Housing Authority and with Artspace have been screening applications since December for potential residents of Artspace.

Interviews start on Monday.

Angie Banza, lead housing coordinator with the Loveland Housing Authority, is the first step in the process. Artspace is continuing to raise money to complete the restoration work.

The Loveland Housing Authority is also still accepting donations on the apartment complex side, as well.

Project funding sources include the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Loveland Housing Authority, the Erion Foundation, the Loveland Community Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Bruce and Muriel Hach Family Fund.

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From the community Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation Awards Nearly $2.9 Million to 710 Organizations in 2014

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation today announced that it awarded nearly $2.9 million in grants to 710 nonprofit organizations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire in 2014. Since its inception in 1980, the Foundation has granted close to $133 million in funds throughout the four states.

More than $1.5 million in grants was distributed in 2014 to the Foundation’s childhood obesity prevention initiatives within the region, with funds supporting programs that promote nutrition, healthy eating, and physical activity.(See below for a summary of the Foundation’s 2014 major grant recipients.)

Since 2007, Harvard Pilgrim Foundation has distributed more than $9 million in grants to non-profits working to prevent childhood obesity. In the coming months, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation will provide grants to not-for-profit programs that help get fresh, healthy food to low and moderate income families.

In addition to the $1.5 million in grants, the Foundation also awarded $555,950 to nearly 670 organizations in 256 communities through Harvard Pilgrim’s Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grants program. Elementary School; School garden and food pantry

2014 Maine Grant Recipients

o $100,000 in Maine Local Food Grants:

$15,000 — Cultivating Community (Portland), Garden construction and scholarship

$14,600 — Food AND Medicine (Brewer), Farmers’ market expansion

$11,080 — My Place Teen Center (Westbrook), Cooking equipment for teaching

$10,600 — FARMS (Focus on Agriculture in Rural ME Schools) (Damariscotta), Cooking equipment for teaching

$10,000 — Washington County Food and Fuel Alliance (Machias), Food pantry equipment and education

$8,500 — Oxford Hills Alan Day Community Garden (Norway), Development of a food forest

$8,420 — Pearson’s Town Farm at Saint Joseph’s College (Standish), Garden expansion for college food service and food pantry

$8,345 — University of Maine Cooperative Extension (South Paris), Development of a teaching garden

$5,650 — Kennebec Restorative Community Harvest Program (Augusta), Garden equipment for prison garden

$3,100 — Yarmouth Community Garden (Yarmouth), Garden irrigation equipment

$2,500 — Old Orchard Beach Community Food Pantry (Old Orchard Beach), Cooking program pilot

$2,000 — Somerset Grist Mill Food Hub (Skowhegan), Food education program for children

o $5,000 — Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership (Portland), Honors Dinner

o $5,000 — The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges (S.