Kappa Delta at the University of Florida

Community Service

Hi there!

My name is Gabriela Rodriguez and I am so proud to be the current Vice President of Community Service for the Beta Pi Chapter of Kappa Delta.

One of the many reasons that I was drawn to Kappa Delta when going through recruitment was our involvement and passion for service. I truly believe that service is one of the most important and

influential aspects of not only Kappa Delta, but all of Greek life. Watching our girls come together as

one to support so many philanthropic organizations inside and outside of the University of Florida is

truly inspirational.

Kappa Delta is unique because we do not limit ourselves to supporting just one organization.

We have had the great pleasure of working with so many different people for the common good of

our campus, community, and world. What stands out about our own personal philanthropic

organizations, is that we are able to organize two philanthropies per year in support of them. In the

Fall, we are hosting a dodgeball tournament, and this past spring we held our annual Shamrock

Paintball Tournament. Both of our philanthropies support the Child Advocacy Center of Gainesville

and Prevent Child Abuse America. Leading up to our big philanthropies, we host fundraisers

throughout different restaurants in Gainesville along with my personal favorite --- a Cook-out in our

Kappa Delta home where hundreds of students and local community members join us in eating our Chef Brian’s famous BBQ. In addition to our fundraising nights, we also have themed headshots taken of girls in single and group settings for each of our philanthropies. This is a fun way to spread awareness through our social media platforms about the amazing cause that we are proud to represent and support. We also work with local Girl Scout troops and help them sell Girl Scout cookies, attend and help run their meetings, and have them come to our house to engage in small groups, crafts, silly games, and help them earn badges. Lastly, another large organization that Kappa Delta is extremely involved in is Dance Marathon. Dance Marathon is the largest philanthropic event at UF and its mission to help the Children’s Miracle Network is inspiring. Not only do we have the highest number of captains involved out of all organizations on campus, but we continue to increase our involvement each year.

Besides our vast involvement on campus and locally, we have ladies that also take their service efforts globally. It is moving to see friends act as empowering women and travel to less fortunate countries on their own for different mission trips for the betterment of other communities.

Without a doubt, the ladies of the Beta Pi chapter have a love for service. Helping these ladies give their time, efforts, and love towards so many different organizations and charities has been one of the greatest experiences that I have had during my time at the University of Florida. I could not be more honored to represent these kind-hearted individuals and look forward to seeing where the next year takes us in our journey of serving others!

Warmly,

Gabriela Rodriguez