If happiness is a warm blanket, Epsilon Sigma Alpha is wrapping the community in warmth and cheer.
At their latest recruitment event, ESA members invited students to make fleece tie blankets, both as a bonding activity and a way to contribute to a good cause. After all, service is at the heart of the sorority.
“We’re a service organization, so we like to offer service events as a part of our recruitment process,” Jules Sweet, ESA vice president and a senior psychology major, said. “The purpose of this event is to donate these tie blankets to a drive that one of our members runs for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.”
That member is Madison Prasun, ESA’s community service chair. As a survivor of sexual assault, Prasun founded “Smiles for Survivors,” an annual service initiative in her hometown that collects donations, ranging from money to stuffed animals and hygiene products, for the sexual assault prevention organization Growing Strong. Her work with “Smiles for Survivors” inspired the idea for the blanket-making event.
“When you’re sexually assaulted, and you’re in the hospital getting a kit done, they give you a new pair of underwear and a new outfit so that you feel more clean and at peace,” Prasun, a junior computer science major, said. “It would be something really special to also give them a blanket that might make them smile.”
Making these blankets is just one way ESA has given back this semester. Other recruitment events included decorating potted plants and making sustainable dog toys to donate, showcasing the sorority’s commitment to service and sisterhood.
“Our goal is to give back to the community, make a difference and do service,” Sweet said. “This is just one way we can do that.”
Sorority members encourage anyone who shares these ambitions to consider joining ESA in their pursuit of connection and contribution.
“If you’re looking for a sisterhood, some strong girlhood and you like community service, it’s a good place for you,” Prasun said.
ESA’s blanket-making event yielded eight blankets to donate. With Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, additional support services can be found here.
