The SMU Chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society is holding a clothes drive at SMU all week.
Donations can be left in drop-boxes located on the first floor of Hughes-Trigg and in any of the 18 sorority and fraternity houses on campus.
Donations will be forwarded to Goodwill Industries of Dallas, whose mission is to provide job-training, employment and personal growth opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers from employment, i.e. welfare dependency, illiteracy and homelessness.
Most needed items are blouses, books, polo shirts, shoes, small electronics, CD and record tapes, coats and jackets, collectibles, jewelry, men’s suits, computers, holiday and home decor, DVDs and VHS tapes and dishes.
“The response has been great so far,” Allison Cooley, president of the SMU Chapter said, looking at the picture of a box full of donations on her phone from one of the fraternity houses.
The clothes drive runs through Wednesday, April 20.
The SMU Chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society was chartered in 1989.
Cooley commended last year’s board on its effort to get the SMU community involved in its community programs, and she intends to enhance the visibility of the society on campus through diverse events.
Cooley considers her role as president an opportunity to make a difference.
“The school has done much for me. It is my duty to give back,” she said.
She added that participation in community service prepares students for the workplace, and potential employers take note of such involvement.
According to the organization’s Web site, it is the world’s largest collegiate honor society.
It was founded by a group of undergraduate students and faculty members at Georgia State University in Atlanta on November 29, 1977.
Golden Key’s mission is to enable members to realize their potential by recognizing outstanding academic achievement and connecting high-achieving individuals locally, regionally and globally with lifetime opportunity, reward and success.
Membership is by invitation only. Currently, there are nearly two million members and 375 chapters at colleges and universities in eight countries.
Member benefits range from scholarships and development opportunities to jobs and internships.
Through Golden Key, members are empowered with tools to help them realize their potential. The Society offers more than $600,000 in member-only scholarships and awards annually.
Next on the society’s agenda is the Golden Key International Conference, July 15-17, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Schools from all over the world are expected to send representatives.
For those interested in being considered to travel to the conference, contact Cooley at [email protected], or Billy Machina at [email protected].
