To some people, the holidays mean waking up extra early to play with that new video game system or hip MP3 player. But several Greek organizations think that giving is more important. That is why a number of Sacramento State sororities and fraternities are donating their precious time and giving priceless things to the community this holiday season.

Coat drives, canned food drives, money collections and running marathons are just a few activities that Greek organizations have done in the past to help those in need.

During the winter last year, Greek fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon organized a charity fundraising event, in which all eight sororities who existed at the time participated in a Christmas tree decorating competition. Chris Ramos, former member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, said that after all the trees were decorated, TKE coordinated with Volunteers of America to find eight single-parent homes to receive the trees.

Now that TKE is no longer recognized as a student activity, the community has lost one group’s charity efforts. However, other Greek organizations have been showing that they too are just as involved and concerned about the community.

One Greek group that will be doing something for the holidays is Pi Kappa Alpha. On Dec. 20 the fraternity will bring real snow to Merryhill Elementary, a school located on Pocket Road. At 5:30 a.m. the fraternity will drive to Tahoe to collect as much snow as they possibly can and bring it to the school for the kids to enjoy. The fraternity will be using two U-Haul trailers and as many trucks as they have available to transport the snow.

“The main reason we chose to do this event is because many of the kids at this school never have the opportunity to go to the snow – and we thought it would be cool for them to see snow right before Christmas,” Chapter President Kyle Long said.

The school’s principal is an alumnus of the chapter, which is why they will conduct the event at Merryhill Elementary.

One group who has already done a kind deed for Christmas is sorority Delta Gamma. Some of its members took underprivileged children on a shopping spree last week at the Mervyns in Rancho Cordova.

The sorority worked alongside the 20-30 Club of Sacramento. The club gave each child $100-$150 to spend on new warm winter clothes and shoes. Sorority members were paired with a child to help them spend the cash and have a carefree day of fun.

Another Greek group who contributed to the community this Christmas is fraternity Sigma Chi. It hosted an event called Derby Days at The Crest Theatre last Thursday. During the event the fraternity is usually able to raise over $12,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network and the Huntsman Cancer Research Institute, President Paul Houser said.

The fraternity will also be assisting with The Sacramento Food Bank over the January break to serve meals to the hungry. Helping out at the food bank is something the organization has been doing for a while and a tradition they didn’t want to lose, Houser said. Houser also added that helping out makes him notice and realize what he has.

“It makes you feel good to do something for someone else,” Houser said.

Chi Delta sorority is another Greek group helping the community this Christmas. They are participating in The Giving Tree. The house had extra funds and decided to split the money between their philanthropy and The Giving Tree, Chi Delta president Brittainy Lanning said. Gifts that are donated through The Giving Tree are given to children and families affected by the AIDS virus.

Amy Ball and Olivia Gray can be reached at [email protected]