Heart of Service
Growing up in Miami, I had become accustomed to certain things: the sun, sand, and even the overwhelming heat and humidity. Unfortunately, it was not until later that I realized I had become used to something terrible, heartbreaking, and widespread: the poverty in South Florida. It had become commonplace to see numerous homeless people and be neither concerned nor affected. Probably falling victim to the notion that these homeless people had only caused themselves this fate, I was comfortable with the way things were: this was my place and that was theirs.
As I went through High School my notions began to change. My high school, private and Catholic, was run by the Christian Brothers of Edmund Rice. These brothers took a vow of poverty while selflessly serving a school and community with many students and residents unable to meet the most basic of needs. A prime example of their generosity was the annual “Hungerfest” food drive. Students who were interested and selected to participate were required to fast for a full 27 hours, only allowed to drink water. While enduring what so many impoverished in South Florida have, these students made simple lunches of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, snacks, and water, donating them to homeless shelters in the area throughout the weekend-long fast. I was lucky enough to join the fast both my junior and senior year and the impact it had made on me was unforgettable. As we complained of our empty stomachs, it was hard to imagine that so many had to suffer the same for days on end. Eventually delivering our simple lunches, over three-thousand actually, I got to witness first-hand the gratitude and exuberance on the faces of the homeless we were helping to have but one meal that day.
College then started and admittedly I began to fall short in my concern for the service of others; life just seemed to get in the way. I later learned of Delta Epsilon Psi and the service the brothers performed on a widespread and thorough basis. I decided to find out more, and by my sophomore year at the University of Miami, I joined DEPsi. As a new brother of the fraternity, becoming a member almost a year ago, in the fall of 2010, I was eager to find that “heart of service” that I had earlier encountered, but unfortunately lost sight of. We began, hard at work on our various philanthropic events for JDRF. Though feeling a strong sense of service, community, and satisfaction in helping so many by raising money for type I diabetes research, I longed for a more real experience. By no means is the work of the numerous brothers of Delta Epsilon Psi, on this scale, insignificant, but I wanted to see first-hand the effects of my colony’s service on the community that we strived to assist.
We then began a small service project that we the brothers of Nu Colony, at the University of Miami, call “Midnight Breakfast.” Thinking back on my inspiration at “Hungerfest,” I immediately loved the idea. We were to make as many sandwiches as we could and deliver them personally in underprivileged areas, mostly in the Downtown Miami area. We ventured out, finding many homeless and low-income men and women who were over joyous at our simple generosity. We left that evening with a strong sense of brotherhood, and more importantly, service. As I looked around at the faces of my brothers, I could see the pride and sense of accomplishment; I think we had all found our own “heart of service” that night. I ask that all colonies and chapters try to instill some sort of service project of the type mentioned above, not only does it make a huge impact, but it serves as an inspiration to continue to uphold our legacy of service and commitment.
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Steven Raveesh
Nu Colony
