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Hi! My name is Tori Denovellis, and I am the Philanthropy Chair for Chi Omega! I am so excited to have been selected to this position and to be serving on this year’s executive board. I am even more excited to be able to work directly with Make-a-Wish New Hampshire to benefit this philanthropy that is so dear to our hearts.

Make-a-Wish grants the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. The cost of each wish is $10,000 and for the past 4 years, Chi Omega has achieved wish granting status. This means that we have reached, or even surpassed, our goal and were able to grant a wish to a child each year. In 2020 we were able to grant two wishes. One for a child named Johnny whose wish was to travel the country. We were able to provide him with an RV equipped with all the essentials, so he was able to travel and go on adventures. He also got a new laptop computer, Canon Powershot Digital camera to photograph his journey, a new kindle because he loves to read and play games, a headset for gaming and schoolwork, and lots of State & National Park maps and books along with annual passes. We were so excited to hear all about Johnny’s journey and just how much he and his family enjoyed it!

We also granted a wish to 8-year-old Nash who wished for a custom designed golf cart. He got a Yamaha gas-powered golf cart equipped with 2 seats, a hanging rack for his wheelchair, USB chargers, extended roof to cover his backseat, and many other enhancing extras. This decked out cart was labeled the “Nashmobile” and we were so excited to hear all about the rides taken on it!

Our two biggest fundraisers are Mr. UNH and Swishes for Wishes. In the fall, Mr. UNH is an exciting male pageant. In the spring, Swishes for Wishes is a 5v5 basketball tournament. Both events are a fun way to get the entire campus involved in fundraising and supporting Make-a-Wish, and we have such great support from local businesses and our UNH community.

Being a part of Chi Omega has changed my life in so many ways and has given me opportunities I would never have imagined in college. Including the opportunities to help make a change and to give back to our community. I am truly thrilled to have been elected to this position and cannot wait to work with our sisters and other organizations on campus to raise money for Make-a-Wish and to be a wish granting chapter for the 5th year in a row!