It's easy to see why Greek Week is a major highlight for fraternity and sorority students at Michigan State. The annual event, hosted by MSU Fraternity and Sorority Life students in April 2024, was an impactful way for students to have fun while contributing to partners in the local community and learning the importance of community engagement in all of its forms.

In addition to the signature Greek Spotlight and Greek Games, this year's Greek Week followed the tradition of bringing students together to support community partners in the East Lansing area through volunteering, philanthropy, and more.

Students hosted a Day of Service on April 4, where over 2,100 volunteers gathered on campus to make dog and cat toys for the Ingham County Animal Shelter, visited the Allen Neighborhood GardenHouse to assist with weeding and cleanup, or volunteered at the Greater Lansing Food Bank's Mobile Food Pantry. The Day of Service was a fun and engaging way for students to make lasting memories while also making a positive impact on the local community.

Throughout Greek Week, students also organized a donation drive with the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing and The Reading People. Through this drive, 620 books were donated to The Reading People, and 67 electronic or board games were donated to the Boys and Girls Club.

Greek Week participants raised an additional $27,430 for the Greater Lansing Food Bank and the Ingham County Animal Shelter through various fundraisers. They also partnered with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive, which resulted in 156 donors giving 129 pints of blood, equivalent to 387 lives saved.

Philanthropy, which includes donating time, service, money, or goods to a community organization, can be a powerful social change strategy because it focuses on the elimination of social problems at the source. Practicing strategies such as philanthropy and volunteering gave participants in Greek Week a meaningful opportunity to contribute to positive social change, while seeing the long-term impact of community engagement in action.