The Arrow Spring 2012 : Page 2

PERSPECTIVE Perspective What Does Service Mean to You? With the introduction of the Fraternity’s new literacy platform, Read. Lead. Achieve., we are learning about the tremendous service completed by so many Pi Phi women. We are also learning how Pi Phis have individually defined what service means to them. Our members, both young and old, believe Pi Phi’s philanthropic work should make its impact locally. In the dictionary, the word service has more than five possible definitions. It can mean many things — and it should. In my opinion, that is the unique aspect of service. While it can be many people doing completely different things, at the end of the day, the purpose is always the same: the desire to give to others, to share with others and to love with others. To a young girl, service could be babysitting a neighbor’s child with no compensation, in order to give the mother a “day off.” To a collegian, service can mean the number of hours she logs completing volunteer projects on campus. To the recent graduate in a new city, service can be working in a local food bank. To a caretaker, it could be reading to the elderly at a local nursing home. To a parent, service could be chaperoning a field trip or assisting a teacher with a class event. The possibilities — and the benefits — for service are endless. However, service doesn’t have to be an action or a one-time effort. To some, service is their career and their life: mothers, members of our Armed Forces and teachers, to name a few. These people have chosen their profession out of a desire to serve others. They never turn off their service “switch,” because service is inherent in them. The same is true for a Pi Phi. I truly believe a member never stops being a Pi Phi. Everything she does — whether in class, at an event, at home or at the office — she keeps our core values, including philanthropic service to others, in her back pocket. Recently, as I was returning home from the Leadership Academy in Atlanta, I arranged to meet with a dear friend and Pi Phi sister prior to my flight back to Washington, D.C. We agreed to meet in the Atlanta airport for lunch. When we finished, she went to track down our waitress for the check. On the way to find her, she stopped by the table of a soldier who was returning home from a tour of duty and so was dining alone. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and they talked for a minute. At the end of their conversation, my friend reached down, picked up his check and walked off. At its heart, service is an indefinable action that produces indescribable feelings. Though we are all different and our strengths are all diverse, together we can make a difference. Ring Ching, JULIE CARNEY Grand Vice President Programming Texas Beta Southern Methodist University Julie Carney 2 THE ARROW | SPRING 2012

Perspective

Julie Carney

What Does Service Mean to You? With the introduction of the Fraternity’s new literacy platform, Read. Lead. Achieve., we are learning about the tremendous service completed by so many Pi Phi women. We are also learning how Pi Phis have individually defined what service means to them. Our members, both young and old, believe Pi Phi’s philanthropic work should make its impact locally. In the dictionary, the word service has more than five possible definitions. It can mean many things — and it should. In my opinion, that is the unique aspect of service. While it can be many people doing completely different things, at the end of the day, the purpose is always the same: the desire to give to others, to share with others and to love with others. To a young girl, service could be babysitting a neighbor’s child with no compensation, in order to give the mother a “day off.” To a collegian, service can mean the number of hours she logs completing volunteer projects on campus. To the recent graduate in a new city, service can be working in a local food bank. To a caretaker, it could be reading to the elderly at a local nursing home. To a parent, service could be chaperoning a field trip or assisting a teacher with a class event. The possibilities — and the benefits — for service are endless. However, service doesn’t have to be an action or a one-time effort. To some, service is their career and their life: mothers, members of our Armed Forces and teachers, to name a few. These people have chosen their profession out of a desire to serve others. They never turn off their service “switch,” because service is inherent in them. The same is true for a Pi Phi. I truly believe a member never stops being a Pi Phi. Everything she does — whether in class, at an event, at home or at the office — she keeps our core values, including philanthropic service to others, in her back pocket. Recently, as I was returning home from the Leadership Academy in Atlanta, I arranged to meet with a dear friend and Pi Phi sister prior to my flight back to Washington, D.C. We agreed to meet in the Atlanta airport for lunch. When we finished, she went to track down our waitress for the check. On the way to find her, she stopped by the table of a soldier who was returning home from a tour of duty and so was dining alone. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and they talked for a minute. At the end of their conversation, my friend reached down, picked up his check and walked off. At its heart, service is an indefinable action that produces indescribable feelings.Though we are all different and our strengths are all diverse, together we can make a difference. Ring Ching, Julie Carney

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