Donation from Troy University Greek organizations to help save lives | Community Spirit

TROY – A donation made Monday by Troy University fraternities and sororities will help save the lives of children in need of heart surgeries in developing countries.

TROY alumnus Dr. William Novick, founder of the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF), received a check for $8,000 from TROY Greek Week co-chairs Scott Hubbard of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Morgan Blankenship of  Phi Mu sorority during a ceremony at the Lambda Chi Alpha house at Troy University’s fraternity village. The funds were raised through events held during the University’s annual Greek Week activities this spring.

“These funds will actually save the lives of four children,” said Novick, a 1975 graduate and a founding member of TROY’s Lambda Chi Alpha chapter. “Thank you to all of you who worked directly on these fundraising efforts or gave out of your own pocket. This is a huge donation that will help many children and families.”

Since 1994, the mission of the International Children's Heart Foundation (ICHF) has been to bring the skills, technology and knowledge to diagnose and care for children with congenital heart disease to developing countries that request help. Through the use of teams of professionals from world class cardiac care centers, ICHF travels to developing countries performing operations and educating local health care professionals. With the training they receive, local health care professionals can, in turn, care for the local children. Since inception, ICHF teams have performed more than 6,000 operations in countries on all continents.

Monday’s donation not only went to a good cause, but also served to demonstrate the spirit connecting Greek organizations, regardless of their university affiliation, said Chris Hager, coordinator of student involvement and Greek Week advisor. A fundraiser to benefit the ICHF was being planned last year by Greek organizations at the University of Alabama, but it had to be canceled after a tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011.

“I am proud of the work that our Greek community has done for this organization,” Hager said. “When the tornado forced the cancellation of the fundraising event at the University of Alabama, our Greek community saw this as a way to step up to show our support for the great work that is being done by one of our alumni through this foundation and also to support the Greek community at the University of Alabama.”

Information Source: Troy University