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1. An Overwhelming Issue
2. Poverty Around the World
3. Poverty in Whitman County
4. Real Eyes Realize
5. The Ripple Effect
6. College Communities
7. Cougs Help Cougs
8. The Center for Civic Engagement
9. Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork
10. Greek Life
11. Fostering Change
12. Greek Philanthropies
13. Interview
14. Bridge the Gap
15. Running Towards the Problem, Not Away

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The Webster dictionary defines poverty as "the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions." Poverty can seem like an all-encompassing issue. It's overwhelming, kind of like staring at the ocean. Where does one even begin to help those in poverty? How can one person make any difference?

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Poverty Around the World- in all cultures

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Poverty Around the World- in all cultures

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Take a look at any culture within any society and you're bound to find some form of poverty. Whether it's a third-world country or a developed country, poverty is present within the culture. It's almost as if oppression and poverty is inevitable. The first step to fixing this problem is admitting that it is a problem- throughout the whole world.

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According to Ogden & Holt (2016), "Whitman County has the highest poverty rate in the state, according to the 2015 Community Needs Assessment. About 13,000 of Whitman County’s nearly 40,000 residents lived in poverty in 2013, of which about 11,000 were in Pullman." For WSU Pullman students, this is happening within our own backyards. For most college students, it's hard to envision a life outside of campus. The harsh reality is that most students are going to college to help "save the world," when they could be helping inspire change and "saving" the community in which they live.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/news/article_e538ad68-aba6-11e6-8cf2-fb80db36206f.html

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Erin McIlraith, the marketing and communication coordinator at CCE, said “poverty is one of those issues we just don’t think about a lot if we don’t see it directly.” It's challenging to get outside of the protective bubble most of us find ourselves in. It's easy to pretend that the issue of poverty doesn't exist when you're surrounded by privilege.

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Everybody has heard the old saying, "just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." This is true for any charitable or philanthropic work. Many people think that they can't make a difference, which is part of the reason why many charities struggle with finding volunteers.

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As a college community, we have a unique circumstance. Washington State University is a part of Whitman County. WSU is a prospering community within a larger community that's struggling. It's apparent as soon as one drives to another small town outside of Pullman.

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Seeing as Whitman County is among the poorest counties in Washington State, WSU students have big opportunity to help. The WSU community is unlike any other. It's a tight-knit community with a famous saying, "cougs help cougs." It's only fitting that the saying should be applicable to broader community as well.

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The university saw a growing need for community involvement and, consequently, the CCE was formed. Established in 1993 by a task force of faculty, students, and community representatives and led by Dr. Bob Howell and Dr. Don Bushaw, the Community Service Learning Center (Center for Civic Engagement) has an important role as a centralized university office responsible for student civic engagement and service learning.

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The Center for Civic Engagement is responsible for leading various service projects. Some of these projects involve community outreach. An example is garden planting. The CCE led a project that involved planting a garden in an abandoned lot and donating the produce to the local food banks.

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College campuses and surrounding communities are constantly reaping the benefits of the Greek organizations. Fraternities and sororities work side by side to help local or national charitable organizations, while also developing a sense of civic responsibility.

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The greek community within WSU is committed to change. According to Maddie Johnson, WSU Panhellenic President, "the WSU greek community is unique. Our community is uplifting and friendly. We're committed to bringing that positivity into the surrounding communities through service and philanthropy. Our goal is to foster change, starting with our community."

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The greek system is most often stigmatized as negative. Most people don't know about the effect of greek philanthropic efforts. Philanthropies are projects and events organized by groups or individuals to benefit the surrounding community. They can involve members from one fraternity/sorority or from all members of the Greek community.

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I interviewed Maureen McGrath, the director of Catholic Family & Child Services for the Benton and Franklin Counties. Maureen relies on volunteers to help run events, such as "The Family Christmas Extravaganza." This event is held for families that can't afford to buy their children many Christmas gifts. The families come to the party and can take some gifts home. The goal is to provide a sense of normality to the families that struggle with poverty. Maureen said that without the help of volunteers from schools, such as WSU, the event wouldn't be nearly as successful.

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It's apparent that there's a divide between the rich and the poor, even within the WSU community. Greek life helps members begin to bridge the gap by having community service requirements. It's easy to live in a sheltered bubble, but it's much more rewarding to break out of that bubble and help those in need.

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After breaking it down, the vastness of the problem of poverty doesn't seem so overwhelming. It starts with one simple act. The impact of Greek life on surrounding communities has many positives due to philanthropies. The simple act of a greek philanthropy is a group of friends getting together and helping a member of their community. This doesn't seem like it would make a huge difference but we have to start somewhere.