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Fraternity Brothers Lend a Hand
So, what does Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at DePaul University in Chicago have in common with Aspire? As it turns out, quite a bit.
When Paul DiMasi and his fraternity brothers investigated community service opportunities, they chose Aspire. Last year, 45 students worked many hours to paint the inside of Aspire’s two resale shops, where they also found themselves sorting through donations.
“We worked at Aspire on Broadway, the resale shop in Melrose Park, and tried to make a small dent in Mount Everest, as they call it,” DiMasi said. “By the end of the day, more bags of donations would be dropped off to take up the space we had just cleared up, but that’s a good thing.”
When the fraternity was looking for a good match for a service project, DiMasi called Julie Gies, Aspire’s volunteer coordinator, and then he took a tour and learned more about Aspire’s work and the people it served. “It’s just an amazing place and the guys in our fraternity were very willing to volunteer knowing they were helping people with disabilities,” he said.
Fraternity members worked at Aspire’s annual golf outing, getting water and snacks to golfers out on the holes, and they worked at the Big City Night gala to set up the silent auction area, take the displays down, and even helped those attending the event to get their auction items to their cars at the end of the night. “We do whatever we can when Julie calls,” says DiMasi, who organizes the volunteer team of 30 to 40 fraternity brothers.
Says Gies, “It is awesome to see this group of guys roll up their sleeves and dig into a job, no matter what it is. They are always eager to step up when we need help.” To volunteer and be a part of the Aspire spirit, contact Julie Gies, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, at 708.547.3550 x3554.
