The brothers decided that the best way to achieve their goals was to stay true to their pillars and beliefs. As part of their efforts to improve society, the brothers established a minimum volunteering requirement to go along with their national philanthropy requirement. Every semester since their founding, brothers have collectively donated nearly a thousand hours of their time per academic year to various hospitals, nursery clinics, schools, etc. around campus, with some brothers volunteering up to 160 hours in one semester!
 
     These hours went along with their various efforts to raise money for various charitable causes. Just this academic year alone, the colony co-hosted a Charity Ball with 3 other organizations, raising nearly $4,000 for Child Abuse Awareness. The colony also participated in the annual Relay For Life and raised nearly $1,000 for cancer awareness and research. On a community level, the brothers at UIUC Colony fundraised to purchase over $200 worth of books for the students at South Side Elementary School, co-hosted an after school carnival for kids at the school by supervising game booths created by the school's faculty and staff, and hosted a week-long canned food drive for a local homeless shelter, collecting altogether nearly 1000 cans.

 

     However, philanthropy is not the only thing this multitasking colony is known for, as Sigma Beta Rho at UIUC has played host to some of the most memorable social gatherings of the semester. Each semester, the colony hosts a Before Finals Bash (BFB) to begin finals week with a highly anticipated night of entertainment. Despite the brothers’ presence on campus for only four semesters, many look forward to BFB to end the semester socially with an incredible night amongst friends, brothers, and seemingly the rest of the school. Last spring, the brothers hosted BFB II, a Red Light/Green Light themed party. The event was widely considered to be a success and led to an even more successful BFB III, a Winter Whiteout themed party this past fall. The success of BFB III lent the colony's social calendar momentum and anticipation for their first social event the following semester, a First Impressions themed party that sold out in merely a few days. Most recently, however, the brothers, along with the ladies of a dance performance team named Ghungroo Dance Company, hosted a Valentine’s Semiformal for the first time this spring. Over 200 people attended yet another sold-out event, allowing the brothers to not only live up to expectations for throwing amazing parties, but also demonstrating their commitment to collaboration with other organizations on campus (A majority of the profits were given to GDC in support of their upcoming performances). The UIUC colony also hosted a bar crawl (Cobra Crawl) this year, an unforgettable event for all who attended. The brothers plan to establish this event as a semester tradition.
 
    Yet even with so much time and effort devoted to social and philanthropic efforts, the brothers knew that success and growth meant staying true to ALL of their pillars and principles, not just one of them. While the brothers were pleased to have twenty-one like minded individuals, they were also proud to have these 21 individuals come from very diverse and unique backgrounds. As of this semester, the UIUC colony has crossed brothers of Indian, American, Iranian, Palestinian, Pakistani, and Korean descent. This goes along with the multiple faiths brothers follow in this colony, which include Hinduism, Catholicism, Christianity, Islam, and Jainism. In an effort to celebrate these differences and live up to the pillar of Remembrance, the brothers of Sigma Beta Rho are co-sponsoring multiple Bridging the Gap events, which are a series of activities and seminars meant to promote and raise awereness of the positive effects of diversity. Some brothers have volunteered to be peer leaders at these events, leading a group of students in an eye-opening discussion about race and college life. Their next co-sponsored event also includes a cultural show with other historically diverse Greek Organizations, where various fraternities and sororities display their pride in their letters by exhibiting their various strolls, salutes, and steps, all in an effort to show how they symbolize unity, respect, and show what these exhibitions mean to their organization.