Aug/Sept 2013 - Greek Raise Big Bucks

Greeks Raise Big Bucks for Big Blocks at AS Children’s Center

Kids playing with blocks

Tucked into a grassy corner of SDSU Children’s Center’s Memory Park, a sturdy wooden shed holds hours of block-building fun funded by San Diego State Greek organizations.

The SDSU Children's Center was a co-recipient of this year’s Greek Week fundraising dollars along with Embrace, a San Diego Veteran's program. Each year members of the Greek Community participate in the week-long event, which involves many competitions and social events in addition to fundraising for deserving organizations.

The center chose to use the $9,000 from the fundraising efforts to purchase the outdoor building blocks and instruments. Center Director Robin Judd said the blocks add an important play element to the outdoor area, called Memory Park, at the Center.

kids playing with giant blocks

“Blocks are such wonderful teaching tools and having the opportunity to build with these “big" blocks is such a different experience for the children,” Judd said. She added that cooperative play experiences, as well as development of balance, design, structure and spatial awareness, comes from play with the blocks which are much larger than traditional indoor blocks.

Teachers at the center say the center students play with the blocks, wheelbarrows and crates daily, even using wooden crates as “cars” they pretend to be riding around inside.

Stacking some of the larger blocks takes a group effort by the smaller children, due to the size of the items, but the children seem to enjoy the group effort. As one boy commented, “I need my friends to build a tall house.”

The center is also awaiting the delivery of a giant marimba that was also paid for using the Greek Week fundraising monies. Teachers hope the large xylophone will be one of many outdoor musical instruments added to the center play area for the future.

kids playing

Both pieces were major purchases for the SDSU Children’s Center that staff and leadership say would not have been possible without the support of the Greek organizations.

Interfraternity Council Activities Director Wiston Rodriguez said seeing the recipients of the fundraising efforts benefit from the money raised is always rewarding.

“To see our funds put to use in a good way reassures us that we are, as a community, doing good things,” Rodriguez said.“