by: Erin Morrison
Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Service Fraternity is holding their 11th annual Pennies for Pumpkins fundraiser on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Clubs and organizations from Parkland can enter a carved pumpkin or multiple pumpkins into the contest, and people can vote for their favorite pumpkins using coins or even cash.
All the money will go to the charity of choice of the club who wins the contest. In the cafeteria area of the U-Wing, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., you can use your coins to vote for this year’s best pumpkins; you can vote multiple pumpkins.
Everyone in APO works together to host Pennies for Pumpkins, and it has been going on for many years. This year’s event will be the 11th one. Fabiola Padron, a biology major, is the President of Parkland’s chapter of APO. In an interview about Pennies for Pumpkins, she said, “We feel like it’s nice to have everyone collaborate because I know a lot of clubs don’t usually collaborate, so it’s nice to just kind of have fun and meet other clubs and also donate for a cause.”
Last year, the winner of the contest was the Student American Dental Hygienists Association. This organization chose to donate to Smile Healthy. In the past, hundreds of dollars have been raised to donate to charities like the Prairieland Council of the Boy Scouts of America or even St. Jude’s Hospital.
APO is a national fraternity and service club which was founded in 1925 by Frank Reed Horton. According to the APO website, “More than 470,000 students on 375 college campuses have chosen Alpha Phi Omega, making it the nation’s largest Greek letter fraternity.”
Each college with an APO program has their own chapter. At Parkland College, we have the Alpha Zeta Omega chapter. At the University of Illinois, there is the Alpha Alpha chapter. The APO website says, “Alpha Phi Omega teaches through the principles of Leadership, Friendship and Service that we are architects of our own ambitions and that each of us has the opportunity to develop ourselves to be whatever we seek to be.”
Pennies for Pumpkins is one of the many events hosted by the Alpha Zeta Omega chapter promoting leadership, friendship and service.
When the Prospectus has covered Pennies for Pumpkins in the past, there have been many creatively carved pumpkins displayed in the paper. Last year, the Phi Theta Kappa honor society had a zombie themed pumpkin as well as a pumpkin with the Phi Theta Kappa logo on it. The Parkland Science Club and Parkland Astronomy club have had science and astronomy themed pumpkins. Surgical tech, Student Government Association and Parkland Pride have also entered pumpkins in the past. The vet tech program has won many Pennies for Pumpkins contests in the past, usually with animal themed pumpkins.
“It is a competition between all the clubs and organizations, but all the proceeds will go to the same place; the proceeds will be donated to a charity or organization of choice”
Clubs do not have to carve their pumpkins; they can also paint the pumpkins or do a combination of both, and they can add on things like fake teeth, wigs, flowers or something else. Clubs can enter the contest close to the day of the contest.
Students can vote for as many pumpkins as they want, and they can donate as much or as little as they want to. You can vote on the way to class, before you go home after class, while you are getting lunch, or anytime you are free. It is a competition between all the clubs and organizations, but all the proceeds will go to the same place; the proceeds will be donated to a charity or organization of choice.
A schedule with more events is on Parkland’s APO website, which can be found at websiteapoonline.org/parkland.
