The sound of a man singing the lyrics to Lizzo’s “Juice” echoed through the Chi Omega sorority living room before a round of applause. It’s Chi O Coffee House, one of the sorority’s most popular philanthropy events of the semester.
The Nov. 4 event raised money for Make-A-Wish Michigan. JuniorMary Ann Powers, community service director for Chi Omega, led the event.
“We send in the money directly to Make a Wish in Michigan, which is pretty neat, because then we get to follow the specific stories within Michigan of wishes that have been granted,” Powers said. “Before COVID, they would have families from Michigan who were being granted a wish or who had been granted a wish come out to our event and meet and greet with people.”
Besides Chi O Coffee House, the sorority also hosted a car wash earlier in the semester, and a pancake breakfast in the spring.
“I’ve loved having this role,” Powers said. “It’s really helped me grow in many different areas of my life, but especially leadership skills. One of our Six Purposes is service and it’s something that I think really grounds the house.”
The event featured pastries from Market House and the Jonesville Bakery, while the coffee was home-brewed. There were eight performances total, with five music sets and three comedy routines.
“I had a wonderful time at the Chi O Coffee House,” junior Caleb Holmes said. “Claire Gaudet had everyone in stitches with her standup and Matthias Rhein delivered a moving rendition of Lizzo’s ‘Juice.’ The event was emceed by Mary Ann Powers—always a delight—and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coffee. All in all, it was a great success for a great cause.”
Sophomore Jillian Parks and junior Abigail Tizedes performed multiple duets together.
“I went to Chi O Coffee House last year as a freshman, and that was my first interaction with Chi O,” Parks said. “That was obviously a positive experience because I ended up joining Chi O, but it was a really cool full circle moment for me to participate as a sophomore in something I admired as a freshman.”
Parks and Tizedes performed a variety of songs, with a notable range of genres.
“We started with an acoustic version of ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyonce, and then we went into ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus. We ended with ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’” Parks said.
Despite the levity of the evening, the money raised goes towards helping children with critical illnesses.
“Chi O has taught me a lot about selflessness, about the purpose to love each other and to help each other grow,” Powers said. “It translates to being a good citizen; I think that carries over after you graduate into any community that you enter into.”
