Social service clubs provide a variety of activities and opportunities for the members involved in them. This year, the women of Gamma Rho are taking that involvement to the next level by creating a scholarship for a club member seeking to participate in missions.
Becca Greenwood, Gamma’s vice president, is in charge of fundraising, among other duties. At the start of the school year, she said she began to think about what Gamma could give financially.
“I really wanted it to be something that everyone connected with, so I brought that up in officer meeting,” Greenwood said.
According to Greenwood, senior Darian Minzenmayer, alumni relations officer, suggested they begin a fund for girls in Gamma taking on summer missions.
Together, with assistance from Gamma sponsor Debbie Thomas, Director of the Center for Global Missions Ben Langford, Director of Advancement Operations Will Blanchard and Gamma chaplain Hannah Risley, Greenwood and Minzenmayer were able to begin the scholarship.
“People will sometimes forget that it’s just as important to serve those close to you and support those close to you,” Greenwood said. “Serving and supporting those girls who want to go do that mission work I think is a really great thing.”
The recipient of the $500 missions scholarship this year was junior nursing major Brittney Waisner. Waisner is going to Honduras this summer through the nursing program’s Honduraserve trip, from April 30 to May 13.
“It’s just awesome that I am able to be supported by a group of people that I spend a lot of my time with and a group of people I invest a lot of my time in,” Waisner said. “And it’s awesome to know that they are trusting of me to be able to give me money to invest time in other people.”
While on the trip, Waisner will provide medical attention for local Hondurans.
“I’m looking forward to the aspect of getting to work with people who are underprivileged,” Waisner said. “They have a different language and getting past the language barrier and being able to not only provide them with medical treatment, but also getting to evangelize with them and to bring them the good news.”
Waisner was one of six girls who applied this year. The applicants were required to fill out a form with basic information and then write an essay stating why they were participating in missions. From there, a committee determined which of the six would receive funds.
At Gamma’s spring banquet, Greenwood announced that Waisner was the recipient of the funds.
“I was really excited; I wasn’t expecting it by any means,” Waisner said. “That was kind of the last little bit of money I needed to raise for the trip so, it will be a huge blessing.”
Greenwood said the scholarship was inspired, in part, Delta Gamma Sigma’s scholarship program, which is awarded to a member each year to put toward tuition.
Chris Adair, Delta sponsor, said he is not surprised that another club has followed suit and begun a scholarship for their members. When Adair and others were working toward setting up the fund, he said he thought the idea might spread.
“This is just something every club should be doing,” Adair said. “If we start doing it, we expect that eventually, other clubs will see this. We knew, or at least felt very strongly, that at some point there would be another club that would try to mirror that.”
Adair said he wishes the scholarship to grow, not just in Gamma and Delta, but throughout the other clubs across campus as well.
“I’m excited that Gamma Rho has started this process, we wish them well and hope to see other clubs follow along and do the same thing,” Adair said.
Greenwood said that although this is just the first year for the event, she has high hopes for the future of the Gamma mission scholarship. According to Greenwood, next year’s vice president, Brooke Hutson, is planning to continue to grow the scholarship.
“It’s pretty great that we are able to help one of our Gamma sisters so that she can go serve and spread God’s love to others,” Greenwood said. “Hopefully, it will grow and continue to be a blessing to Gamma in the future.”
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