Engineering angels volunteer to help Richmond’s needy youth

With Christmas just around the corner, the VCU Zeta Phi Sigma sorority of engineering women needs orders for baking Christmas goodies to support charitable organizations.

“We gift wrap presents at the Regency Square Mall to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network in Richmond and the Angel Tree (Christmas program),” said Jennifer Saylor, a master’s biomedical engineering student. “We will be wrapping gifts until Dec. 24 for the Children’s Miracle Center this Christmas.”

The sorority sisters also volunteer their time and efforts by wrapping gifts for the Angel Tree, a charitable organization that provides some of the basic needs in life for the Richmond Metropolitan area’s underprivileged children, especially at Christmas.

Many families in Central Virginia share the Christmas spirit by reaching children through the Angel Tree program sponsored yearly by The Salvation Army. It involves selecting a special cardboard angel from an Angel Tree in a store or mall. Then individuals shop for gifts listed on the card for the child and take the unwrapped gifts to the place where they signed an Angel Tree card.

“Besides our annual Thanksgiving bake sale, we will be selling roses on Valentine’s Day to also raise money,” said Colleen McLoughlin, a senior biomedical engineering student and chief engineer of the sorority.

With $25 semester dues and a 3.0 GPA, any female engineering student qualifies to become a member of Zeta Phi Sigma. But after pledging, each student must maintain a 2.5 GPA. By setting a required 3.0 GPA, incoming members help promote the advancement of engineering education and encourage academic excellence.

“We recruit first-year female engineering students to join our sorority and sometimes finding recruits is a problem,” Isti Arief said.

Each semester, the sisters sponsor a rush week, which is a social event where they meet the newly enrolled female engineering students.

“We also hold events with other organizations at VCU to establish relationships with other students at VCU,” said Dana Richards, sophomore chemical-engineering student. “I hardly knew anyone when I got here but through our philanthropic activities, I have the opportunity to be part of professional events. I have also established lifetime friends.”

The sisters say they try to balance their workload with at least some playtime.

“We have many social activities throughout the year to allow our sisters to maintain their close relationships through the many engineering programs,” McLoughlin said, including the charitable ones the group lists on its Christmas agenda.