Every semester at Bentley University, Greek Life participates in a Day of Service, which allows students to give back in various ways to the local community. Ceili Riccio, president of Greek Activities Council (GAC) at Bentley, was kind enough to offer some insight into this year’s Day of Service:
Why is community service so important?
“One of Greek Life’s overarching missions is to continually expand our reach in our surrounding communities. Each of the fraternities and sororities have their unique philanthropic organization that they support. Many of the chapters at Bentley have some type of service wording in their individual mission statements, and many were founded upon the belief that service in the community is one of the most important distinctions of their organization.”
What kind of service did Greek Life participate in this year?
“Each semester the Greek Activities Council hosts a Day of Service with the Waltham Housing Authority. This event gives Greek life a chance to exhibit their service skills as an entire Greek community. This past spring, Greek life was able to donate over 500 non-perishable goods to a local food pantry. Last school year, Greek life collectively raised of $80,000 for service organizations nationwide, and we hope to surpass this number next year.”
How did you/others feel after the Day of Service? If you were helping people, did anyone show gratitude?
“Every time that Greek life participates in Day of Service, we have people telling us they felt we made a difference in the Waltham community. When you are doing general clean-up, you can physically see the difference you are making. Last semester, the Mayor of Waltham personally talked to us to express her gratitude. You always see the residents asking where we are from, and thanking us for our help. These things make us all exceptionally proud to be Greek and to be able to share our service-focus with the community we live in every day.”
Why is it so important to keep the tradition of Greek Life Day of Service? and Why is it so important for college students to give back?
“While Day of Service is still new, it will be around for a while. It is important sometimes for college students to get themselves out of our campus bubble and into the real world. It is especially important for us to give back and continue to give back as we grow into our adult lives, and not only provide services to our community but really become involved in the organization. The tradition will help us to develop a lasting relationship with the Waltham Housing Community and its residents, and even if it is a small difference in their life, it is still a difference, which is important to continue to grow. In the future, we hope to see FSL Day of Service become something that Greek life leads, but the Bentley community as a whole participates in. Every student at Bentley has some impact on the Waltham community, and it is important especially for us to spread our service ideals with students outside of Greek life as well.”
Lastly, Ceili encourages those who are looking to get involved in Greek life, or wish to learn more about our organizations to contact either the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, or the Greek Activities Council. Follow the Instagram @bentley_gac to keep up with all the events the fraternities and sororities host on campus – especially service events!
Also, make sure to keep up with all things SP&E, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Snapchat (@bentley_spe) and on our website: www.bentleyspeak.com!
