Tuesday at the Profiles in Service and Leadership Banquet, representatives from the Greek Week planning committee will present grants totaling $100,000 to 30 nonprofit organizations from the Tuscaloosa area and west Alabama at 6:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Ballroom.
The money for the grants was raised during the activities of Greek Week, a week of competitions and events between organizations from the four greek councils at the University of Alabama, the Interfraternity Council, the Alabama Panhellenic Association, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and the United Greek Council.
The organizations that will be awarded the grants were chosen from an application process that included providing detailed plans of how the funds will be used. Some of the organizations that will receive funds include Tuscaloosa’s One Place, READ Alabama, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, among many others.
Hannah McBrayer, the vice president of administration for APA, said the main purpose of Greek Week is to have the members of the four greek councils unite in an effort to give back to the community.
Maggie Barlow, the director of campus operations for Chi Omega, an APA sorority, said Greek Week provided an excellent opportunity to come together in a fun way to help improve the University and Tuscaloosa.
“Greek Week brings the greek community together, and shows what we can accomplish as a whole,” Barlow said. “While it does add a little competitiveness, which can be good, it’s really about what we can do when come together to help UA and the community through community service. It’s not all about who’s the best, it’s about coming together to make a difference.”
The chapters from the four governing councils were paired up to participate in various activities from a bowling competition to working with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild a house damaged by the April 27, 2011 tornado. Greek Week ended with Greek Sing, a song and dance competition, the ticket sales from which helped generate the funds for the grants.
Barlow said Greek Week represents the greek community as more than the image that is often connected with it.
“The amount that we raised shows how the greek community is more than just what people think we are sometimes,” she said. “Greek Week is a good way to show what else we are about which is helping to better our area and helping to improve the community.”
