Post by greeky on Dec 21, 2010 19:14:52 GMT -5
www.jacksonsun.com/article/20101220/NEWS01/101220002
Mississippi members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon international fraternity brought 35 soon-to-be members to Jackson for a home revitalization project last week.
Icy rains halted their service by Wednesday, but not before they spent the first part of the week cleaning up homes on Burkett Street and Lambuth Boulevard.
The Mississippi State University students traveled across state lines as part of a yearly week of service to jump-start the fraternity’s initiation process. Their work was planned to go beyond cleaning, doing small home repairs and some yard landscaping.
“They’re really excited. They worked hard and are actually kind of disappointed for the day that we’re not going to get out and do anything else,” said Patterson Freeman, a two-year Sigma Alpha Epsilon member and Jackson native, on Wednesday.
Over the years, the school’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity also has been involved in building homes with Habitat for Humanity and doing similar work in the year after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf coast.
“It was nice to do something for the community, something not for yourself, just good,” said Ben Sanderson, a freshman at Mississippi State. “Despite what you hear these days, it’s really what we’re about, being just good people and doing good things. I think it speaks for what we really stand for.”
Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was founded in 1856 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It is the first and largest Greek fraternity, with service being a major pillar of activity, according to Mississippi State members.
“It kind of makes you feel good about yourself whenever you do it. You kind of see smiles on the people’s faces you’re helping,” said Jake Owen, a freshman who has been involved in other service projects. “Makes you feel like you’re doing something right.”
Although a major part of its work, the fraternity is about more than serving the community, Freeman said. His father, Kent Freeman of Jackson, is also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
“We depend on each other nationally on an everyday basis in our business lives and our personal lives,” Patterson Freeman said. “My dad’s best friends that he had in college were all fraternity brothers.”
Freeman called the fraternity a lifelong commitment.
“So when we come on these projects, we’re doing more than giving back to the community, improving our relationship as friends and brothers,” he said. “We’re kind of who we depend on down the road when we need anything.”
Mississippi members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon international fraternity brought 35 soon-to-be members to Jackson for a home revitalization project last week.
Icy rains halted their service by Wednesday, but not before they spent the first part of the week cleaning up homes on Burkett Street and Lambuth Boulevard.
The Mississippi State University students traveled across state lines as part of a yearly week of service to jump-start the fraternity’s initiation process. Their work was planned to go beyond cleaning, doing small home repairs and some yard landscaping.
“They’re really excited. They worked hard and are actually kind of disappointed for the day that we’re not going to get out and do anything else,” said Patterson Freeman, a two-year Sigma Alpha Epsilon member and Jackson native, on Wednesday.
Over the years, the school’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity also has been involved in building homes with Habitat for Humanity and doing similar work in the year after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf coast.
“It was nice to do something for the community, something not for yourself, just good,” said Ben Sanderson, a freshman at Mississippi State. “Despite what you hear these days, it’s really what we’re about, being just good people and doing good things. I think it speaks for what we really stand for.”
Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was founded in 1856 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It is the first and largest Greek fraternity, with service being a major pillar of activity, according to Mississippi State members.
“It kind of makes you feel good about yourself whenever you do it. You kind of see smiles on the people’s faces you’re helping,” said Jake Owen, a freshman who has been involved in other service projects. “Makes you feel like you’re doing something right.”
Although a major part of its work, the fraternity is about more than serving the community, Freeman said. His father, Kent Freeman of Jackson, is also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
“We depend on each other nationally on an everyday basis in our business lives and our personal lives,” Patterson Freeman said. “My dad’s best friends that he had in college were all fraternity brothers.”
Freeman called the fraternity a lifelong commitment.
“So when we come on these projects, we’re doing more than giving back to the community, improving our relationship as friends and brothers,” he said. “We’re kind of who we depend on down the road when we need anything.”
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