Elementary education senior Kevin Salazer and business communication senior Bryan Soto are both active members of Tau Psi Omega, a community service based fraternity on campus. Soto is the community service chair and Salazer is on his committee. (Photo by Carly Traxler)
Children who live in houses built of cardboard and scrap metal in impoverished areas of Hermosillo, Mexico, need very little to feel grateful and happy.
Community service and academics based fraternity Tau Psi Omega will collect donations of food and toys throughout October to once again bring joy to the undeserved communities in Mexico.
Bryan Soto, business communication senior and chair for the community service of the fraternity, said he takes pride in this project, which makes a huge difference in the lives of the families.
“There are a lot of kids out there who don’t have much to live with,” he said. “So what we’d like is to use these donations to go there during the holiday season and try to give them a little bit of spirit, give them some hope.”
The fraternity, in collaboration with nonprofit organization Amigos Paz y Bien, will make its third annual trip to the city of Hermosillo in Mexico during the holiday season in November to personally deliver at least 330 toys and 240 food bags to the families in need.
The project chooses different communities every year, and this year they plan to visit an impoverished area to the south of Hermosillo, known as invasión Pereda.
Looking to surpass the amount of donations collected in the previous years, the fraternity is encouraging students to donate toys and food including rice, beans and noodles to make a complete meal by Nov. 7.
Tau Psi Omega fraternity went to Hermosillo, Mexico in 2012 and 2013 to deliver donations of food and toys to children and families. (Photo Courtesy of Bryan Soto)
“I feel like we’re taking a lot of things for granted here in Phoenix, especially students,” Soto said. “So this service is a huge eye-opener. When I do community service, I always try to do something that could make a huge impact.”
Elementary education senior and fraternity member Kevin Salazar will be going on the community service mission to Mexico for the second time this year.
He will be taking part in the project this year to put a smile on childrens’ face once again, he said.
“How they survive — it leaves us clueless ... but it just gives us so much joy to give happiness to somebody else,” he said.
Originally from Mexico, creator of Amigos Paz y Bien Griselda Borbon said she was familiar with the needs of the people coming from poor economic backgrounds. Four years ago, she shared the idea with her nephew, who was a part of Tau Psi Omega Fraternity at that time.
The fraternity has been very helpful since then, not only with collecting donations, but also helping at the site by handing out food and toys, and preparing tortas for the families, she said.
When the students see how hungry and grateful the kids are, they sometimes get emotional, she said.
“When we go over there, some of them even cry,” she said. “It’s amazing how little kids can be happy with a dollar toy.”
The fraternity focuses on community service, and members have also built houses in Mexico with Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation and mentored high school students with AGUILA Youth Leadership institute.
Fraternity members said by doing community service they hope to prove that the negative image of the Greek community life is erroneous.
ASU alumnus and advisor for Tau Psi Omega Victor Corral said the social image of Greek life originates in the media focusing on the negative aspects, while in reality Greek life contributes to students’ development and society in many ways.
“There’s a big portion of the Greek life that does good things, like community service, helping our members graduate and becoming successful in academics,” Corral said.
Not a lot of members of the fraternity come from wealthy backgrounds, so for them, it’s an opportunity to address hardships tracing back to their personal experience, he said.
“It’s a chance to be thankful and give back to the community,” he said. “And it’s very very rewarding.”
Reach the reporter at kmaryaso@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @KseniaMaryasova
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