Sorority’s pasta dinner raises record funds for Indian Trails Camp
GVL / Allison Young GVSU students dig in during the Alpha Omicron Pi spaghetti dinner fundraiser. The event raised a record $1,800 for Indian Trails Camp, a local camp for mentally and physically disabled adults and children.
Feb 6, 2012
Insalata, linguine, marinara, pane all’aglio. Alpha Omicron Pi went Italian, hosting a spaghetti dinner on Thursday to benefit the Indian Trails Camp, a camp for mentally and physically disabled adults and children located on Lake Michigan Drive. All of the food provided at the event was donated by Costco, Panera Bread, Meijer and Carrabba’s.
This year’s event raised just less than $1,800 for the camp, more than the group has ever raised in the past, said Amber Cullison, organizer of the spaghetti dinner.
The sisters also volunteer with Indian Trails about once a month, whether it be spring cleaning, helping out at the camp’s Trick or Treat event or hunting for Easter eggs during one of the camp’s weekend retreats. In return for their help, Indian Trails Camp allows the sorority to have their retreat at the camp.
“Indian Trails Camp is definitely close to our hearts,” Cullison said. “We love donating to them.”
Over the years, the sorority has assisted the camp in a variety of ways. With the profits from their fundraisers, including Strike Out Arthritis, a large bowling event put on by AOII, and some annual events, the sorority has single-handedly opened the camp’s pool and given them a craft room, as well as other support.
“It’s nice to know where out money is going,” said Christine Nowak, who has been a member of AOII since her freshman year.
Now a senior, Nowak reflects on her experience in the sorority.
“One of the hardest things about graduating is going to be leaving the future of my chapter in the hands of other sisters, but seeing the fire in the younger members is really exciting and makes me comfortable passing down our sorority to them,” Nowak said.
Nowak said there is strong sisterhood within the sorority.
“One of our mottos is ‘individually unique but together complete’ — that really explains the atmosphere here,” she said.
Friendships between the sisters are not limited to weekly chapter meetings, either.
“If anyone needs to go to Meijer or wants to watch a movie, they just ask around,” Nowak said. “We’ve turned the apartment into a house by having such a close-knit group.”
