Nearly 200 members of FSU’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) community traveled to Perry, Florida, the Sunday following Hurricane Helene to provide support with local clean-up efforts. The students spent the day picking up downed trees, moving furniture out of flooded houses and helping wherever else they could.
“I was very touched by the initiative our IFC community showed,” said Amy Hecht, vice president for Student Affairs. “Their commitment to help out a community which was so significantly hit by this disaster was inspiring.”
Ian Seibert, FSU IFC vice president of scholarship and service, realized that most disaster relief organizations were still getting set up to receive organized volunteers. He figured the IFC could help if they just showed up, and they quickly did, knocking on doors and asking if homeowners needed help. The word quickly spread, and they started getting requests from churches, small businesses and locals asking for assistance.
“We are truly grateful to the Interfraternity Council young men with FSU for this wonderful act of kindness to those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Helene,” said Major Marie Harris, Salvation Army worker. “Giving their time and resources to feed people who have lost everything they have in this world — it’s a breath of fresh air to our community. Our future is in good hands with young men like these.”
Many members of the IFC community volunteered with Disaster Relief Florida to help serve food. IFC members, including Charlie Hansen, looked for additional ways to serve the community beyond the group’s day of service. Hansen and members of the Kappa Alpha Order cooked more than 100 pounds of pulled pork and worked with the Salvation Army to feed and deliver food to a relief camp on Keaton Beach.
“Giving their time and resources to feed people who have lost everything they have in this world — it’s a breath of fresh air to our community. Our future is in good hands with young men like these.”
– Major Marie Harris, Salvation Army
“I am extremely proud of the men of our IFC community working together on a problem bigger than themselves and their chapters,” said Nicholas Lopes, FSU IFC president. “They have truly gone above and beyond to assist the community of Perry and have taken the initiative in relief assistance.”
The FSU Interfraternity Council was established on March 5, 1949, with the chartering of seven men’s fraternities, and has since grown to 18 active men’s IFC fraternities in 2024. The IFC is the governing body for those 18 men’s fraternities on FSU’s campus and is dedicated to the academic and social development of its organizational members.
“This display of selfless servant leadership is what truly makes our IFC community special,” said Braden Murphy, coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Life. “Beyond aiding Perry and local communities, our IFC grew in brotherhood with members from various chapters coming together under the IFC banner to serve a greater purpose that fraternity calls on us to answer.”
For more information about FSU’s Interfraternity Council, visit fsuifc.com.
