March 13, 2009

Contact:   Rachel Andoga

 Davidson’s dozen eating houses and fraternities generated more than $70,000 in donations to community organizations last year. By far the most successful is Connor House's annual “Bosom Buddies” gala to promote breast cancer awareness. Last year this signature event for Connor raised $40,000.

The women of Connor House are looking to top that this year with the ninth annual Bosom Buddies gala on Saturday, March 14. It begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Lilly Family Gallery of Chambers Building.

Proceeds from Bosom Buddies benefit "Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test," a Greensboro-based organization dedicated to finding a biological test for breast cancer. The gala features a dinner, raffle, silent and live auctions, and a visiting speaker. This year, the keynote speech will be delivered by Emily Crandall, a 29-year-old breast cancer survivor from Charlotte who will discuss how early detection saved her life. For complete information, you can visit Connor’s Bosom Buddies Web site  or e-mail ConnorBosomBuddies@gmail.com.

Annaliese Rosenthal ’10, a political science major and member of Connor House, said Bosom Buddies is an integral part of the eating house’s mission and history. “When it began in 2001 they raised $3,000, and that grew to $40,000 last year. It’s a really important event that everyone gets involved with, something everyone wants to play a part in.”

But Bosom Buddies is just one example of community support by Davidson’s fraternities and eating houses. Each organization participates in at least one major service activity or fundraiser yearly. Last year, Patterson Court students completed a staggering 16,874 hours of service and raised more than $72,370 for charitable organizations. A few of the notable service projects included: Phi Delta Theta’s Dunk A Delta for Diabetes event, which raised $1,600 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Kappa Alpha Psi’s Hurricane Gustav Canned Food Drive; Turner House’s Charity Denim sale of designer blue jeans with proceeds going to the Ada Jenkins Center, Children of the Nations Orphanage, and Zanibar Soccer Queens; and Warner Hall’s Red and Black Ball, an annual gala in support of the Metrolina AIDS Project and Mwandi Mission Hospital.

“Davidson’s commitment to service is visible on many levels,” said Stacey Riemer, Assistant Dean of Students for Community Service. “I’m impressed with the depth and breadth of student service work through groups like the United Community Action, Engage for Change and Patterson Court as well as the work of students involved with the Bonner Scholarship program.  Still further, a growing number of faculty are integrating community-based learning into their courses providing an opportunity for students to intentionally connect what they are learning in the classroom to their work in the community. "

Riemer continued, “Not only is service a core value at the college, but it is a value in the greater Davidson enacted through the support that our community partners are willing to provide.   Patterson Court organizations model a strong service ethic that I think that helps cultivate a lifelong commitment to community engagement.”

Ninety percent of Davidson students participate in service projects each academic year. In addition, an average of 15 courses are offered annually that include community-based learning components or social action content. Not including the Patterson Court organizations, 41 student organizations are dedicated to community service, social justice, or advocacy.

Below is a short list of upcoming Patterson Court service activities. For more information and specific information about these events, contact Elliott Campbell, Patterson Court Council Service Chair, at elcampbell@davidson.edu.

March 21 – Patterson Court Service Day: Patterson Court will partner with CatsConnect and other campus organizations to host the Special Olympics on campus.

March 21 –MAP Triathlon: Warner Hall will team up with their service partner, The Metrolina AIDS Project, and send 20 students to volunteer for the MAP’s annual triathlon.

April 17 – Bench Press for Breast Cancer: Phi Delta Theta Fraternity will hold its annual bench press event all day to raise money for the Breast Cancer Association.

Throughout March, Rusk Eating House will be accepting any and all book donations to benefit the Barium Springs Children’s Home. Kappa Alpha Psi, Davidson’s newest fraternity, will be selling raffle tickets for Bobcat games for the entire month of March; proceeds from the raffle will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,700 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

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Posted By: Bill Giduz