Tag: Changing Lives

Check Out the Chakett!

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The Fall 2013 issue of The Chi Phi Chakett is out!  Hopefully you didn’t put it aside without reading it, because if you did, then you missed out on seeing the Delta Zeta Alumni Association – not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES in this one issue!

On page 15, the Chakett highlights innovative ways that various Chapters and DSCN2126Alumni Associations help increase their College Excellence Funds.  Xi Delta (from the Florida Institute of Technology) uses excess housing funds, Iota Delta Alumni Association (from Indiana University) sold Kroger gift cards, and – – yes, that’s right, the Delta Zeta Alumni Association is highlighted for its first annual golf tournament!  While we didn’t quite meet the $10,000 goal mentioned in the article, the tournament was still a success, and it is definitely exciting to see our Association’s fundraising efforts mentioned for all Chi Phi to see!

Then, on the very next page (page 16), we find an article that congratulates all of the winners of the 2013 Chi Phi Scholarships.  If you look closely at that picture of the men DSCN2127who were recognized at the Congressional Awards Banquet and Scholarship Luncheon, you’ll see our very own alumnus, Brother David Ebner, who was the recipient of a Neel Scholarship!  The Neel Scholarship was created from a $250,000 bequest provided to Chi Phi by Ms. Eugenia Neel, who provided this gift in honor of her father and brothers, all of whom were Chi Phi men!  Congratulations goes out to Brother Ebner for being selected as a scholarship recipient!

And last, but certainly not least, way back near the end on page 41, you’ll see a nearly half-page picture of the Delta Zeta DSCN2129Alumni Association from their volunteering efforts at Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay.  This picture originally was shown on the Chakett online magazine, but to have it published in the print edition of the Chakett is an incredible thrill, to know that the National Office, in printing this issue, felt the DZAA’s community service worthy of acknowledging in such a way!  Snaps to Brothers Purdon, Shah, Ebner, Suarez, Millsap, Dafnis, and Holm for their volunteering efforts!

If you didn’t read the Chakett, go back and read it now – see how your Alumni Association is on the move in 2013 and get ready to get involved as we move on the even greater things in 2014!

Recognizing Our Heroes – Shaun Geary

Lessons Learned Applied Overseas – by David Ebner

Brother GearyIMG_6426, formally known as Lieutenant Junior Grade Shaun Geary, was the Damage Control Assistant aboard the USS Porter. Shaun was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy in December of 2009, after graduating from the Naval ROTC program at the University of South Florida. Along the way, he received a scholarship to the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at University of South Florida. During the 2005 fall semester, Shaun joined the Chi Phi Fraternity. He served the Fraternity as the Chapter Beta, Delta, New Member Educator, and Alumni Relations Chairman. In 2007, after a Membership review that left Delta Zeta with eight Brothers, he took over as Alpha.

Brother Geary believes that some of the lessons he learned as an officer in his Chi Phi Chapter have directly assisted him as an officer in the U.S. Navy. “I tell people a lot that working with my peers in leadership positions in Brothersthe Chapter, and making decisions for the betterment of the Chapter regardless of whether your peers were fans of that decision, was a unique challenge. When I graduated and got out into the fleet, I found myself in a leadership position where I had people older than me that I managed. I had to make decisions for the group and for the betterment of the Navy and the ship. That was the biggest takeaway that I had from being in the Fraternity.”

Since his graduation in December of 2009, Brother Geary spent 24 months as a commissioned officer on deployment. Shaun reported to his first ship, USS Massa Verde and was deployed a few weeks later to Haiti to help with the earthquake relief efforts in January of 2010. From there, he continued on a seven-month On-the-Al-Basra-Oil-Terminal-in-2010deployment to the Middle East before returning in August of 2010. He deployed again on the same ship with less than two weeks’ notice in March 2011 to return home in January of 2012. He was able to leave the ship early to get married on January 27 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In March 2012, Shaun detached from his command on the USS Mesa Verde to attend Damage Control School. He then flew out to meet his new ship, the USS Porter in May 2012.

Brother Geary had this message for all the Chi Phis in a ROTC Program across the country, “Challengers to a junior officer in any branch of the military are going to be universal, you are going to deal with personnel issues. You need to take care of your people. You really have to take the meaning of leadership to a new level. You will have to understand what it means to be responsible and accountable for something. For those Brothers who are Answering-questions-for-the-press-post-deploymentin ROTC right now, just knowing how to balance life, Brotherhood and ROTC in itself is a challenge. Unfortunately, it does not get easier. Once you get out to whatever branch you’re going to serve in, it just kind of picks up from there. Whether you deploy right away or stay stateside, you are going to have people serving under you and missions to accomplish. You’re probably already on the right track, so keep your head up, get ready to work some long hours, keep a positive mental attitude and it will save you in the long run.”

(Originally published in the online edition of the Chi Phi Chackett – to read the entire article, check out http://www.chiphi.org/chakettonline/articles/2013/05/lessons-learned-applied-overseas/)

 

Changing Lives with Chi Phi

The day you became a Chi Phi, something changed forever. It started with the bond you formed with your Brothers in college, making memories and forging friendships for a lifetime. But it didn’t end there. Chi Phi changed your life. It set you on your path. With your commitment once again, Chi Phi is working to raise $10 million to create academic success, build better leaders, promote Chapter excellence and preserve our distinction and heritage as the oldest social fraternity in America.

It was recently noted that the video promoting the Chi Phi Changing Lives campaign features glimpses of several Delta Zeta Alumni, including Brother Quincy Banis and Brother Shaun Geary.  You can check out the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=s5NePhF_Yg8

You can be a part of something historic – something life-changing – something that will leave a mark on the world long after you’re gone.  For more information, visit the website at:

http://www.chiphicampaign.com