Alpha Phi Omega: an Opportunity for Service

By Ellen Scott on February 15, 2013

Alpha Phi Omega logo, rights given to Alpha Phi Omega.

Alpha Phi Omega (APO) is not to be confused with Alpha Phi the sorority – it’s a fraternity, but not the kind that you may be thinking of.

APO is a service fraternity on campus that strives to promote its three cardinal values: service, leadership, and friendship. Its all-inclusive brotherhood consists of both male and female members.

Ciera Shell is the Vice President of membership, who is in charge of all the members, making sure they are happy, and in charge of recruitment.

“APO is a co-ed service fraternity and what [they] do is focus on doing service on campus and in the community. … a group of people who enjoy volunteer work, doing service, helping out others, and [they] still enjoy hanging out with each other…” Shell said.

But what is service exactly? Elspeth Sweatman, Sargent in Arms of APO, describes service as giving a portion of your day to others.

Only ten hours of service are required of members of APO.  And only five of the eight have to be with APO.

APO creates and aids many service opportunities for its members. Some of the examples include Urban Pike, playing with rescue cats, Relay for Life and partnering with other DU service organizations.

According to Shell, she values leadership the most out of the three cardinal values of APO.

“With strong leadership, you can get a lot done,” Shell said.

Leadership plays a strong component for APO since they assist with many service projects around DU and in the Denver community.

Some of those service projects include partnerships with other APO chapters around Colorado. They helped facilitate Absolutely Incredible Kid Day with the Mui Pi APO chapter at the Colorado School of Mines last year.

In the future, APO at DU is going to partner with DU Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning (CCESL), to create larger service projects with more DU student involvement.

Paige Mills, a junior majoring in Gender and Women Studies and Psychology, is the current President of APO.

According to Mills, APO allows members to make connections and friends through service, and to just have fun together.

“It’s connecting through service…[I joined because] I wanted to do community service and I wanted to meet people,” said Mills.

Members also attend social events, called “fellowships,” outside of service projects to get to know each other and have fun together.  They go out to dinner together or ice skating.

What’s next for APO?

APO members have been working hard to create a new nationally recognized chapter here at DU. By spring quarter this year APO should become a chapter and will then be a chartering group.  Becoming a chartering group means that they will be nationally recognized and officially recognized by DU as an APO chapter.

This all-inclusive group meets once a week every Wednesday in Sturm to discuss their upcoming events and how they can better serve the community.

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