Every semester, the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau choose one of their three national philanthropies to raise money for during their Eat Late fundraiser.
This week, they have chosen Prevent Child Abuse America, honoring April as the national month for child abuse awareness and prevention.
According to their website, PCAA was founded in 1972. Since then, the organization has worked to help children nationwide grow up in healthy and safe environments.
Advocating for national policies and strategies to prevent child abuse is just one of the ways in which PCAA works to help America’s children. They also work closely with the community, coordinating with children’s homes to ensure the healthy development of every individual child.
Human biology junior and Sigma Delta Tau member Eden Roth volunteered at one of these children’s homes this past spring break.
Roth said she was very lucky to have the opportunity to go on her first ever alternative spring break.
“I got to work firsthand with children who were taken out of an abusive household or are in the foster care system waiting to be adopted,” Roth said.
She said the home, which houses children under the age of 18, provides a safe environment including food, clothing and whatever else the children may need.
Since college students had never volunteered at the home before, Roth said the children really opened up to her.
“It was a life-changing experience making relationships with these kids who have so much courage to move on from what they’ve had to deal with,” Roth said.
Sigma Delta Tau doesn’t have a specific monetary goal for the Eat Late fundraiser, but Roth said they hope to raise around $1,000 in total.
“It’s really important to me that we fundraise as much as we can for PCAA,” Roth said.
Sigma Delta Tau will be hosting another event in April to spread awareness for PCAA. They will be teaming up with Kappa Delta, whose national philanthropic charity is also PCAA, to sell pinwheels and plant a pinwheel garden at the rock on Farm Lane.
Roth said the significance of this is that the pinwheel is the national symbol of PCAA. It represents a healthy start to childhood.
