Greeks Give Back, Raise Money For Family

By Broadside Assistant News Editor Lynn Gold

“If you can make a difference, you should,” says Recruitment Director Kiley Coleman.

Coleman is making a difference, and she is including George Mason University in her efforts. As part of Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment, Coleman is conducting a fundraiser to help a family of Stafford, Va.

The Buckles family has four children, three of whom have serious medical conditions requiring constant care. Their eldest daughter, Taylor, born in October 2001, has undergone several spinal cord surgeries and now has limited function from the waist down. The two youngest children, Erin and Jade, were born as conjoined twins at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda in February 2004 but were successfully separated in June of that year.

During the surgery, however, Erin suffered a stroke which left her paralyzed from mid-chest downwards. Jade has been relatively healthy and underwent one surgery in 2006 to reconstruct her chest wall. Erin is currently in physical therapy at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injuries in Baltimore, Md., but she requires a service dog in order to live a more normal life.

Melissa Buckles, the children’s mother, recently contacted Coleman for fundraising help. Since the girls require constant attention, Melissa was forced to quit her job as a high school teacher, which put financial stress on the family. After making the initial contact, Coleman went to the twins’ Web site and was instantly touched by the story of these “amazing people.” She brought the story to the Greek community at Mason, which immediately decided support for the Buckles family was a worthy cause. Alpha Kappa Psi has already made a donation to the family.

At a meeting of the Panhellenic Council, it was decided that a portion of the fee paid by girls registered for sorority recruitment would be donated to the Buckles family. Coleman wants the Buckles to “have fun fundraising with us” and for this to be an “effortless process.”

Coleman’s goal is to raise enough money to pay for Erin’s service dog—approximately $32,000. “It is a high goal,” she says, “but it is attainable.” The service dogs are trained for two years and are able to perform about 90 tasks by the time they are placed with someone. Coleman is already planning for this to become a long-term fundraising project. By incorporating her efforts into events that people are already planning on attending.

Coleman hopes that she can prove that a little bit of effort can go a long way. Simple strategies, like donating proceeds from sporting events to the Buckles family, will provide the underpinnings of the project. “Your enjoyment of something you can do is helping a girl too,” Coleman said. “It’s a real eye-opener.”

More information about the Buckles family can be found online. To make a donation through the university, contact Kiley Coleman at kileycoleman@gmail.com with “Buckles Family Fundraising” in the subject line.