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Thanksgiving Potluck 2009

     Thanksgiving Dinner - Chillin in the Kitchen “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”  This saying represents the true essence of Thanksgiving.  However those of us at Beta Chapter should be thankful for the fact that at least once a year on this day of giving thanks, we are able to interchange “gratitude” with “alumni.” Every year, a day or two before Thanksgiving, the actives at Beta Chapter have the privilege of enjoying a Thanksgiving potluck dinner with the alumni of Beta Chapter. This particular year, Beta Chapter hosted this event on November 24 at the University Park clubhouse at UTD, and was ecstatic to be in the presence of 17 Beta Chapter alumni. Even more special was the presence of those alumni, like Saharsh Singh from Boston, who took valuable time away from his family in Dallas to spend time with all of us.  

     This time we are able to spend with the alumni is important to both the actives and the growth of Beta Chapter. This dinner is great for the alumni and actives to bond through sharing stories, giving career advice, and even watching the hometown Mavericks play. Forming good relationships with the older guys is the primary target when having an event like this. The alumni have extensive knowledge and experience in building a successful chapter, a successful career, and even more importantly being a successful person. This dinner serves as a learning process for many actives, and luckily for us, the Beta Chapter Alumni love to lecture us actives on the importance of putting forth hard work and dedication into anything we do.  However, what most actives truly love about this dinner is the camaraderie and the funny stories that the alumni have to share. Funny stories of Founding Class guys like Anil Jacob “borrowing” street signs in Austin, the infamous Eta Class fob moments, and the trash talking concerning which class is the best class make this Thanksgiving event truly special. Storytelling is the way that actives realize that at one time the alumni did the same juvenile things, encountered similar obstacles, and eventually were able to sculpt out successful careers and lives.  

      At the end of the night, there was not one brother who could eat another roll or crank out another laugh. The night was filled with great food and even greater conversation. Thanksgiving is a time for thanks, and we actives at Beta Chapter have plenty to be thankful for, especially the time we get to spend with our alumni. This year the alumni helped “make sense of our past, bring peace for today, and create a vision for tomorrow.” 

Thanksgiving Dinner - Brothers Picture

 
 
JDRF Walk 2009

      Delta Epsilon Psi has for a long time, taken great pride for the charitable work done in the community. The Junior Diabetes Research Foundation is the organization that we, as a fraternity, have adopted as our national philanthropy. This year, Beta Chapter held a JDRF week Sept 26- Oct 1, to raise money for this foundation and raise awareness about diabetes.

JDRF Walk October 2009

      The week began with volunteering at the yearly JDRF walk in Frisco, TX on Sept 26. This is a marquee event of this foundation (in the Dallas region), because not only does the walk bring curiosity and attention to the cause, it also serves as a picnic gathering where donations from businesses and individual contributors are presented formally to the foundation. Beta Chapter helped in the event by setting up tents for organizations and the cleaning up of the park. 

      That same night, the brothers at Beta Chapter threw their annual JDRF party at The Lost Society in Greenville, Dallas. Brothers from across the nation along with a fantastic crowd made this night one to remember. From this party alone, $900 was raised for the foundation.

      Monday, Sept 28, Beta Chapter set up a JDRF informational booth in the student union to address the second goal of this week; raise awareness about diabetes and the research that is essential to finding the cure. From Monday to Wednesday pamphlets, sugar free candy, and other JDRF related items were handed out to the students of UTD.

      In the future, Beta Chapter is planning an outdoor 3x3 JDRF basketball tournament in the next month with a donation target of another $300.

      The JDRF week at UTD was a huge success for Beta Chapter and for Delta Epsilon Psi. Upon conclusion of the tournament, over $1200 will have been raised for the foundation. By continually hosting these events, Delta Epsilon Psi works to raise awareness concerning the seriousness of Diabetes and aid in the funding of research for a cure. Often those who are a victim to some illness have no one to support or care about them. With more charitable events like Delta Epsilon Psi, Beta Chapter’s JDRF week, no longer will those affected walk alone.