Families R.O.C.K Weekend

Families R.O.C.K. (Reaching out to Cancer Kids) was an absolutely amazing and heartwarming success. Several of our Phi Theta Kappa officers volunteered for this event along with a couple of people from our Student Government Association (SGA). It is a safe assumption that I can speak for our entire team when I say it was worth every time spent and every mile driven to experience this event.


For those of you who don't know what Families R.O.C.K. weekend is; according to the America Cancer Society's website (www.cancer.org)... it is a fun, educational retreat for children with cancer and their families. Parents have an opportunity to learn more about the disease from medical professionals in a casual setting, while their children participate in fun, educational programs and activities. Anticipated Families R.O.C.K. Weekend outcomes range from increased compliance with treatment methods to enhancements to their quality of life.

As volunteers, our job during the afternoon hours was to meet and greet families, help them with directions and registration, while giving them a warm welcome to the beginning of a fun, relaxing yet informative weekend. After the registration process, dinner commenced at 6:30pm and after that we proceeded to the fun section of the night for the kids. It was just awesome seeing the warm smiles on the faces of the little ones as we interacted with them through fun activities such as T-shirt decorating. It was especially pleasing due to the fact that our chapter provided all the shirts to be decorated for the entire event.

The kids had so much fun at the T-shirt decorating session designing shirts for themselves and their families; throwing away all their cares in the world and just bringing out the little fashion designer in all of them. Watching these kids and how they were enthused and full of life, irrespective of the fact that they are stricken with a disease should show us how minute our problems really are. We are talking about children here, some of whom don't know the extent of what they are suffering from, children who probably won't get a chance to enjoy life as most of us are. Yet they are still living life to the fullest, way more than some of us who get so caught up with the cares and worries of our little worlds that we never stop to think how blessed and fortunate we are.

The organizers and parents alike were so grateful to us for our contributions because we went there as unselfish as possible and served - hence the term service. This is what the Phi Theta Kappa spirit is all about and I am happy we had an opportunity to impart that on others, making a difference in each and every one of their lives. Thank you American Cancer Society for giving us this opportunity... we look forward to doing this yet again.



GIVE A LITTLE LOVE AND IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU!!!!