30th Annual Carolina Clemson Blood Drive

Rivalry Week is finally here and we are so proud to announce that Tri Delta was the largest Greek sponsor at this year's 30th Annual Carolina Clemson Blood Drive. One of our very own, Mary McGuinness, has been involved with the blood drive for three years now and wanted to tell us a little bit about her personal experiences with the drive and what it has meant to her in her years here at Carolina. 

"Hey Y’all!

I can’t believe that it’s already this time of year again… Happy Rivalry Week! Although the big on field rivalry kicks of this week, here at USC we just finished wrapping up our off field rivalry verses Clemson, with the 30^th Annual Carolina Clemson Blood Battle, which was held on both campuses last week.

As a senior here in the College of Nursing, the Carolina Clemson Blood Drive is something that I have really enjoyed being a part of for the past three years. This year, I was blessed with the opportunity to co-chair the 2014 drive. The Carolina Clemson Blood Battle is one of the largest collegiate blood drives that has taken place the week before Thanksgiving for the past 30 years, at the start of the holiday season when donations typically begin to decrease. Rivalry aside, I chose to get involved in the Blood Drive because of the impact this drive can make on the lives of others. One fact unknown to most is that only a mere 8 percent of our population donates blood, which is one reason why this drive is so important. Each donation has the potential to save up to three lives. Since the competition began, together, our universities have successfully collected roughly 100,000 pints of blood, helping save the lives of approximately 300,000 patients, which is no small task!

  

During the weeklong drive, student volunteers disperse around campus, despite the rain and cold, encouraging all students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans to show support for their favorite team by giving blood. Each year at the close of the drive on Friday night, the visiting school calls the hosting school to report their numbers for the week. For the past six years, Carolina has taken the win, and held a 15-14 lead over Clemson. In years past, the winner has always been decided by number of pints collected, regardless of university size. This year, however, the terms changed, and undergraduate student body size became a factor in determining the winner of the drive, which was determined by the percentage of donors in relation to the number of undergraduates at each university. Here at USC, the undergraduate enrollment number used was 24,180 students, while Clemson’s undergraduate enrollment was 16,931. Needless to say, us Carolina fans had our work cut out for us if we wanted to take the win for the seventh consecutive year!

Despite the changes, Carolina fans came out strong, with 4,103 donors, or 16.9% of our undergraduate student population, pulling off the win over Clemson’s 2,793 donors, which is 16.5% of their undergraduate population! As part of the tradition, the Blood Drive Trophy will be awarded to USC at the game next weekend, in Clemson.

Seeing this drive through from the early planning stages back in January to the call on Friday night was truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I grateful that I was able to get involved in such a great cause. This year’s drive couldn’t have been as successful as it was without the support of our sponsors (including Tri Delta!), committee volunteers, which included nine Tri Deltas, or the 4,103 donors, 61 of whom are Tri Deltas, who rolled up a sleeve to donate life! I am hopeful that South Carolina will never have to be fearful of a blood shortage during the holiday season because of this drive.

On behalf of my co-chair, Kaitlyn Dunphy, and I, we would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way to this years drive! With this victory aside, its now time for the Football team to take the win on the field, Go Gamecocks – Beat Clemson!

-Mary McGuinness"

Game Day Sponsors: THANK YOU!

The Alpha Lambda chapter would like to give a HUGE thank you to our sponsors for our Game Day event benefitting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  Because of their kind donations, we will have some amazing silent auction baskets and be able to raise even more money for St. Jude!

Monkee's of Columbia

Petal - Five Points

Bubble Tea Cafe

The owners of Bubble Tea Cafe in Columbia have a niece who is a patient
at St. Jude, making their contributions even more special! 

Groucho's Deli

Tomahawk Fishing Shop

YMCA Columbia

Victoria's Secret PINK at South Carolina

Vineyard Vines

The Gourmet Shop

We'd also like to thank the families, alumnae and the South Carolina Greek community for their donations and support in helping us reach our $30,000 goal for St. Jude!

Sister Spotlight: Camille Fishback: Quelques Perles

"Hey y'all! My name is Camille Fishback and I’m a senior Tri Delta at USC majoring in Marine Science with an emphasis in biology.

Here’s a little background to this story. I grew up in a VERY artistically dedicated family–many thanks to my mother. There are paintings all over my house that she created when she was my age. As a mom, she dedicates much of her creativity to my sister and me. She would send us to school in dresses and scarves she made for us, always hand-makes each Christmas card she sends, and has a sewing machine she can connect to her computer to design special things she wants to sew. I even went to sewing camp when I was in elementary school (you can’t make this stuff up), which actually really comes in handy now. I ran my own jewelry store out of my locker in middle school called ‘beadz n thingz,’ my main customers were my teachers and mom (thanks for that by the way). So nonetheless, I grew up surrounded by arts and crafts. My point is that making clothing and jewelry is not a foreign concept to me.

A couple months ago, a beautiful necklace with tassels and beads that one of my girlfriends was wearing really caught my eye. When I asked her where she got it, my jaw dropped when she told me that it cost her $150. For us college kids, $150 is a huge chunk of money to dole out for a piece of jewelry. After thinking about it, I felt I could easily replicate the necklace. I came home to Kentucky a couple of weeks later with that necklace still in mind, and I asked my mom if she knew how to make tassels. The response was a smirk and she sent me into the arts and crafts room (yes, we have an arts and crafts room). She showed me an easy technique that I could use to make the tassels, and then I went to a local bead shop to pick up the rest of the materials.

I sat down, excited to begin a new project, and created the necklace myself. Anxious to show off my new design, I wore my necklace around and was surprised at how many compliments I received. I decided to share the jewelry on an Instagram account and try to sell it. I began the account while I was home in May, and I could hardly contain my excitement. My little sister and I were talking about different designs when she then asked me whom it was benefitting. I responded, “Well, I guess myself.” She then told me that if I were going to be making money off of something, it would make it even more special if I used it to help out a cause. I thought about it for a second, realizing how insightful my 16-year-old sister was, and decided that I would donate a portion of the proceeds to the Humane Society of America, a cause that is very near and dear to me. Animals have always had a soft spot in my heart, which is one of the reasons I am studying marine biology. The humane society is also someplace very close to me; I’ve done a lot of community service there and enjoyed every moment. This was an obvious decision for me to choose the Humane Society for which I am so passionate in helping.

Once I told my sorority sisters I created this account, I immediately gained so many followers and had orders coming in like crazy. I was ecstatic about all the newfound support, and that my passion for making jewelry was seen by all of my friends. The encouragement they gave me was unbelievable. I went into this idea not thinking that I would have the support that I needed and this plan might just fall through. Suddenly, many of my friends were writing in their blog about my jewelry, endorsing Quelques Perles to others via social media, and even sending me ideas of creations. The encouragement and motivation they demonstrated gave me the confidence I needed in order to get on the right track and stay dedicated to my new goal.

I don’t think my mom, my biological sister, or my sorority sisters realize how much of an impact they have had on me in regards to Quelques Perles. Without their help, I wouldn’t have gained the inspiration and motivation I truly needed to keep pursuing my hobby. I hope if yall are reading this now, you’ll learn my appreciation for everything you have done. If any of you who are reading this have a hobby that could turn into something more, don’t let anything hold you back. You have your family and your sisters there to help!

Each necklace is handcrafted by yours truly, and can be shipped anywhere. Necklaces range from $25 to $35. They include an assortment from tassels, pendants, arrowheads outlined with gold, and stones outlined with gold. Please follow my Instagram account @quelques_perles and Facebook page facebook.com/QuelquesPerlesUSA - And search around for the perfect piece for yourself or to give as a gift!

DL and all of mine,

Camille Fishback"