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Over the course of the 2022-2023 award period, 18 SAL members embraced volunteering and earned the PVSA in the process.

The PVSA rewards U.S. citizens who seek to make a positive impact in their communities by volunteering. Volunteers must have a certifying organization verify their hours, and Sigma Alpha Lambda is happy to serve as such an organization for our members.  SAL members must volunteer for at least 100 hours over the course of our award period to earn the PVSA.

We want to celebrate all of our winners by spotlighting them below!

To learn more about the PVSA, check out the official PVSA website! We hope to see more of you work to earn this award next year!

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Since its inception, the total number of items and money collected through the SAL National Food Fight Against Hunger events is over 127,000 non-perishable food items and over $42,000 raised! SAL chapters utilize Feeding America’s food bank locator to identify local organizations where they can donate their collected items and also provide volunteer hours by serving meals or stocking food pantry shelves as a group.

SAL’s annual Food Fight Against Hunger Initiative has wrapped up for 2022.   We were thrilled to add hundreds more items to our count in fighting hunger in our communities.  Each chapter involved went above and beyond working to collect food donations for their communities. We are so proud of the dedication, creativity and leadership our SAL members demonstrated.

Congratulations to our winner for 2022: University of Southern Mississippi.   USM partnered with other organizations and advertised through social media, signs, and more.  They collected items across all of their campuses and donated it to college students living among them who are struggling to make their ends meet.

For more information on fighting hunger in America or to find your local food bank where you can make a difference any time throughout the year, visit Feeding America at: www.feedingamerica.org.

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This year, chapters from all across the country volunteered their time to create flag memorials on their campus, including Binghamton University, Indiana State University, University of Southern Mississippi, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia State University.

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SAL is proud to serve as a certifying organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  SAL members must volunteer for at least 100 hours over the course of our award period to earn the award.

To learn more about the PVSA, check out the official PVSA website. We hope to see more of you work to earn this award next year!

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Get ready by joining your chapter’s RFL team or the SAL national team. Then start raising funds and awareness on social media and the ACS FUNdraising App. If you’re feeling extra connected to this cause, you can design purple survivor and white caregiver sashes for your loved ones, decorate luminaria, cheer for your favorite team in the RFL Gaming Tournament, or start your own #LaptopLipSync Challenge in support of ACS. Here are a few more ideas from the Relay for Life organizers. Try to submit your total donation to your team’s RFL page by 4 pm EST on April 25, but the ACS will continue to accept contributions after that time.

When SAL Relay Day rolls around on April 25, you’ll be all set to connect with SAL members across the country who will be counting their miles on the Charity Miles app. Track your steps on a treadmill or get outside for a bicycle ride, walk, or run if that’s safe in your community. Consider bringing your dog or volunteering to walk a neighbor’s pup. Wear your SAL RFL “Slugging Out Cancer” t-shirt or print out your own personalized “Why I Relay…” race bib. Bonus brownie points if your pets wear a SAL shirt or race bib, too! Set up your luminaria. Take lots of pictures and submit them to photos@salhonors.org and tag #SigmaAlphaLambda and #SALRelayDay on your chapter’s and SAL’s Facebook and Instagram feeds.

That afternoon, go to Relay USA on Facebook between 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm EST on April 25 for a live virtual Relay For Life ceremony. You’ll get to be part of the opening ceremony, including survivors and caregivers recognition and team shout outs. The event will conclude with a virtual luminaria presentation. Be ready to upload your photos.

We look forward to reconnecting with all of you online on SAL Relay Day!

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Sigma Alpha Lambda members at several of our chapters celebrated Valentine’s Day together this year. They shared the love in a variety of creative ways that we hope will make you smile.

Members at Indiana State University planned ahead to request donations of roses from local florists and then delivered them to the nearby Spring Hill Nursing Home. Residents were happy to receive the loving gifts, and members enjoyed bringing smiles to elderly faces. For other chapters considering this idea, chapter president Courtney Sledge recommends asking for flower donations anytime other than Valentine’s Day. Recipients will appreciate the gift whenever it is given, and florists will be more willing to donate at a time other than their peak holiday.

At the University of Arizona, members wrote positive and encouraging notes and posted them around campus for anyone to pick up. As a chapter, they discussed self-love and keeping a positive mindset and then shared that love around campus with their affirmative messages. Their discussion “inspired members to make more notes to post around campus,” according to chapter president Vanessa Paravati.

Our Purdue University chapter spread the love beyond their campus by making Valentine’s cards for elderly residents at their town’s Friendship Community House. They gathered again a few days later to deliver the cards in person, providing opportunities for members to interact with local seniors.

Officers at our University of Georgia chapter had the same idea. They crafted twenty-three unique cards for residents of a local nursing home for delivery on Valentine’s Day.

University of Maryland College Park SAL members also created homemade cards, but their greetings were destined for hospitalized children. Chapter president Kaleigh Pikulsky said “Valentine’s Day is about spreading laughter and love, and UMD SAL wanted to make sure it reached all corners of our community.”

SAL officers at California State University Fresno showed their appreciation for their own chapter members by handing out Valentine’s cards and candies to each member who attended their February meeting. Unfortunately, members who joined the meeting via Zoom didn’t get any candy, but adding the Zoom option was a great way to reach members who couldn’t attend in person.

If you missed your chance to share the love on SALentine’s Day this year, remember that you can make any day a random day of love, service, and kindness. For ideas, click here. What will you do to share the spirit of SAL with others in your community?

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Members cleaned up back yards, grave sites, trails, beaches, and parks; they organized food bank shelves, packed food baskets, and loaded food delivery trucks; and they spent time with the elderly at local care facilities. They volunteered at museums, clinics, homeless shelters, schools, and teach-ins. SAL members joined together to make a difference on Martin Luther King, Jr Day this year.

Giving back in their communities had a big impact on our members. For George Washington University member Abigail Sepich, “being surrounded by my GW community, all working towards the common goal of a better world through servant leadership, was an unforgettable experience.” Montclair State University member Galia Hernandez said “volunteering always brings me a feeling of gratitude and accomplishment. There is no better feeling than giving your time to others in need.” East Tennessee State University member Nicholas Fuller summed up the day effectively: “it’s a perfect demonstration of the values that Martin Luther King, Jr. taught in his lifetime, and it’s great to see our community living in unity and working together.”

Likewise, SAL members at the University of Texas Arlington helped an elderly woman clean up her yard through their university’s Zeb Strong MLK Day of Service, an event that brings together over a thousand UTA students to visit some 120 service sites across Arlington. Participants felt good about the contributions they made to their community, while also benefitting from time spent together getting to know one another. SAL members considered Dr. King’s words: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” They answered with a resounding turnout. UTA chapter president Wes Hampton noted that “witnessing others’ willingness to help shows that Arlington is a community of people who care to support those in need, and SAL members were fortunate to be a part of it.”

Thank you to all SAL members who practiced the servant leadership aspect of our organization’s founding principles by volunteering on MLK Day this year.

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The Binghamton University, Purdue University, University of Iowa, and University of Maryland College Park chapters all found fun ways to get into the spirit. For example, Binghamton took part in two Halloween events, with the chapter painting pumpkins and hosting a Trunk or Treat food drive event.

Meanwhile, the Purdue University hosted a Halloween Party. During the party, chapter members snacked on cookies as they made cards to be sent to troops overseas.

Our University of Maryland College Park chapter involved their local community in their  Trick or Can event. The chapter distributed donation bags to members of the community as part of their Food Fight Against Hunger efforts. The event went very well, with the chapter collecting over 100 items. Likewise, our University of Iowa chapter collected 25 items with their own Trick or Treating for Canned Food event.

We’re proud of all of our chapters that made a difference through this holiday! Keep doing terrific things this fall!

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