The True Gentleman Initiative embodies the foundations of our Fraternity experience. Service, one of the TGI’s 12 Core Areas, is at the heart of many chapter events — so six years ago, the True Gentleman Day of Service was created to assist chapters around the country to fulfill that responsibility. Over time, it has become part of many chapters’ philanthropy programs. Here are six stories from the 2009 True Gentleman Day of Service.

Louisiana State, Louisiana Epsilon

The men at Louisiana Epsilon tackled the Day of Service in 90-minute shifts by helping a local day-care facility prepare for its grand opening. The brothers worked on mowing the lawn, weed-eating, edging, cutting down bushes, power-washing fences, removing debris, picking up trash, ripping out carpet, moving furniture and painting the facilities. Alumni adviser Derek Mitchell was pleased with the result, saying, “The guys had a great time serving and working, and the day-care workers were overwhelmed with the amount of participation and the magnitude of work that was completed.” With the men’s help, the facility was able to open June 1, 2009.

Cal State-San Marcos, California Alpha-Gamma

The men of California Alpha-Gamma took advantage of the entire True Gentleman Day of Service weekend, packing in five different events. The first, the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education, sees nearly 4,000 students from all over the state attend a graduate-school recruitment seminar on the San Marcos campus. The brothers helped with setup and with serving lunch. That same day, another group of members worked to clean up Dixon Lake, picking up trash and beautifying the outdoors. For their third event, men volunteered at an event called Meet the Chefs of Del Mar, which benefited Casa de Amparo. The children’s shelter holds the annual culinary event as a fundraiser, and the men did behind-the-scenes setup work the night before. A relief effort for children in Africa called Invisible Children was the fourth recipient of the chapter’s help, as members wrote letters to politicians — in conjunction with thousands of other high school and college students — to raise awareness for the cause. And finally, the men participated in a walkathon for multiple sclerosis, raising more than $500 along with the women of Alpha Xi Delta.

SUNY-Oswego, New York Zeta

The men of New York Zeta took a simple approach to the Day of Service: Brothers walked across SUNY-Oswego’s Lake Ontario beach on April 25, 2009, cleaning up trash and beautifying the campus for all university members. New York Zeta brothers got together on a beautiful Oswego Saturday afternoon and cleaned up all the trash on the beach so everyone could enjoy its beauty. For three hours, 11 men each collected a bag of refuse and earned the gratitude of their fellow SUNY students.

Appalachian State, North Carolina Epsilon (colony)

On Friday April, 24, members of the North Carolina Epsilon colony traveled to the Wolf Sanctum in Bakersville, North Carolina, a sanctuary for captive-bred wolves and wolf-dogs. The facility, located in the Black Mountains of North Carolina, works to provide a living environment for animals that would otherwise be neglected or killed. Colony brothers worked for approximately seven hours and constructed a deck for Denali, a 130-lb captive-bred wolf. They also helped to extend the isolation pen that will allow new members of the community to be placed in quarantine until they adjust to their new environment.

Evansville, Indiana Epsilon

The brothers of Indiana Epsilon held their 2009 True Gentleman Day of Service on April 26, 2009. Instead of having one program, the chapter worked with two non-profit centers in Evansville, Indiana. The first, The Potter’s Wheel, is a community outreach and assistance program in the downtown area. The second, Keep Evansville Beautiful, which is part of the Great American Cleanup, helps to keep streets and alleyways clean in a low-income neighborhood.

Villanova, Pennsylvania Eta-Gamma

A few rain showers didn’t slow the men of Pennsylvania Eta-Gamma down during their annual golf tournament. Alumni, friends and family members helped the chapter raise more than $40,000 for Children’s Miracle Network. Senior Pat Devine said, “Even though the weather wasn’t ideal I got the opportunity to golf with a chapter brother and his family. It was a great event and something I was proud to be a part of.”