The next chapter that we would like to highlight in our 2013-2014 Key Chapter Award blog series is Wright State University.
During the fall & spring commencement ceremonies, the Wright State University chapter hosted a Flower Sale fundraising event in which friends and family could purchase flowers for those who are graduating. The Golden Key chapter was able to raise more than $1,300 in December and $3,000 in May to go towards community service events, scholarships and summits! The chapter also hosted their annual Penny Drive on campus. To make this event possible, chapter members set up boxes in 100 offices around campus to collect pennies, and the office that collected the most money would receive a pizza party. To encourage further participation in the offices, the campus offices were allowed to decorate the boxes for an opportunity to win another prize from the chapter. The Penny Drive raised more than $500 to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Dayton to support terminally ill children and their families.
For Global Youth Service Day in the spring, the Wright State Golden Key chapter hosted their first ever “Youth Athlete’s Experience”. This event was designed to bring together children ages two to seven years old with mental disabilities to participate in physical activities that would provide them with the initial skills that they would need to later participate in the Special Olympics. On Sunday April 13, the chapter hosted more than twenty children with Down Syndrome, Schizencephaly, Autism and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome at the university’s gymnasium, where the chapter set up seven different stations. The seven stations consisted of: an obstacle course, run and carry, “Coach says”, catching, kicking, cornhole and dribbling. Each child had their own volunteer, or “buddy”, who would help the child participate in the events and move from station to station. This event proved to be a unique opportunity considering that there are no similar events to this in the greater Dayton area where children under eight years old can development these skills. The parents had a warm reception to the event as it provided a fun learning environment for the children, and the participants in the event had an incredible time, as well!
Congratulations to the Wright State University chapter for being named a Key Chapter for the 2013-2014 academic year.