EASTON, Pa.(www.lafayette.edu), November 6, 2007 — Delta Upsilon Fraternity recently presented the Spring Garden Children’s Center in Easton with a check for $1,141. The money was raised from the Penny Wars competition during Greek Week in October.
Spring Garden and its staff provide affordable services for children of Easton families, including daycare for children of three months to five years and after-school programs for children in kindergarten through the fourth grade. Many of the children at Spring Garden come from low-income families and many of them have difficult family situations, which may include the absence of positive male role models.
Chapter president Steven Roe ’08 (Lackawaxen, Pa.), a mechanical engineering major, explained, “Through a few meetings with Spring Garden Children’s Center director, Pat Hunter, we established that Spring Garden was an institution which could greatly benefit from a partnership with college students, particularly men. It was a perfect opportunity for fraternity involvement.”
This semester, Delta Upsilon has been working on a calendar of fundraising events to help offset the costs at Spring Garden. It recently held a “Healthy Kids, Safe Environments” conference at Lafayette for early care and education practitioners in the region.
Biology major Nathan Parker ’08 (Milford, N.H.) serves as the philanthropy chair for the fraternity. Parker recognizes that the partnership with Spring Garden serves both the community organization and fraternity members. “We have the resources, time, and energy to provide a service to Spring Garden's children, parents, and educators. In doing so, we also benefit. We develop as leaders and role models, learn about social issues, and have a blast.
