The Student Philanthropy Council is spearheading efforts for a “green” amphitheatre to be constructed by the gazebo near Mallory Lake that will give students an exciting venue for shows, presentations and other activities.
The Student Philanthropy Council (SPC) pitched the idea to Edinboro President Jeremy Brown and received approval to raise funds for the project, according to Marilyn Goellner, the council’s adviser. The council has set a goal of raising $50,000 for the amphitheatre and will hold a kick-off event in the spring to call attention to the project. Meanwhile, SPC members are wearing brown buttons with a green “E” and the words, “Brown Goes Green,” a reference to the commitment of Edinboro’s president to “green” projects on campus.
The amphitheatre is just one more project to bring the campus into a more modern and more eco-friendly stage of its historic life. The project is slated to break ground sometime this year, Goellner said and, in the interest of environmentally friendly building materials, it will be constructed, in part, by soil that will be excavated in the next phase of the Highlands housing project.
The goal is to construct the amphitheatre of natural materials with the stepped seating made of dirt, grass and cement. Funding for the project is expected to come from money raised by the council, sponsors and various private foundations.
The Student Philanthropy Council is a student organization that has been a silent player in events on campus over the last six years. The goal of the council is to raise awareness about giving back to the university. It has held fund-raising events that brought big name celebrities like Brad and Diem from MTV’s “Real World” and “Road Rules Challenge,” Grant Imahara, electronics and radio-control specialist who operated R2-D2, Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, and comedians like Ben Hague, who brought the house to its knees.
The Student Philanthropy Council also has been an active participant in Edinboro’s annual homecoming parade. It extended its fund-raising skills to benefit the community two years ago, when it sponsored a dance-a-thon for the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation and raised $2,300.
Despite all that the council does, it has been struggling recently to increase its numbers. “It has been really hard, especially because my three biggest supporters and key members have either graduated or have internships and classes to worry about,” said Goellner, whose primary job on campus is serving as director of the Annual Fund & Stewardship on campus.
The more that students learn of the work of the council and its contributions to the university, the more likely they would be more interested in joining, Goellner said. Through participation on the council, students can increase their skills in public relations, fund raising and event planning, all of which are great resume builders, she added.
The Student Philanthropy Council is always looking for new members who are willing to put in a little bit of good old-fashioned hard work and who want that “feel good” feeling of giving back to their alma mater. Students can contact Goellner at mgoellner@edinboro.edu or search for the Student Philanthropy Council on the Edinboro Web Site.
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