Greenfeather is one of Stetson’s longest and deepest traditions. Stetson University established Greenfeather in 1952 as an autumn charity carnival held during the fall semester to encourage the Stetson community to come together to raise funds for the local charities in the DeLand area. Greenfeather has grown immensely since its debut, seeking to educate students, faculty and staff on the needs of our community and encourage civic engagement and community service.

Now, going into its 62^nd year, we’ve made several exciting changes to Greenfeather in order to maximize the impact we have on our local community. Greenfeather is now fully embedded into Homecoming, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate and show their commitment to Stetson’s values of philanthropy and community service. Over the years Greenfeather has transformed into a weeklong event encompassing more fundraisers and community service opportunities. The goal is for students, faculty and staff to have fun raising money and serving the local community.

Greenfeather is a spirited competition between student organizations that are all vying for the coveted “Greenfeather Cup” (pictured). This is a colossal trophy designed by local artist John Wolfe, which features the engraved name of each year’s winning student organization and community partner. Every participating student organization is evaluated through many competitions, including our long-standing Banner, Chalk Art, Storefront Painting, Airwaves, Day of Service, and Nights Out events. Any group of students, staff or faculty members may register a team to compete for the Cup.

This year’s events include all of the traditional events aforementioned and a Stetson Shares component. This is composed of a Thanksgiving food drive with a bonus clothing drive option, both components serve to benefit needy families in the DeLand community. If you want to register an organization/group, or if you are interested in attending or learning more about the Greenfeather Cup, visit www2.stetson.edu/homecoming and click on the Greenfeather tab.

In the past Greenfeather encouraged the Stetson community to raise enough money for 10 selected nonprofit organizations in Volusia/Flagler counties to receive a $1,000 grant. This year the committee has transitioned to have only one nonprofit organization selected for the Greenfeather Grant and for the amount to be a total of $10,000. This change was made in order for the partner to be more widely recognized during the entire week of Homecoming and to increase the capacity building of the nonprofit organization.

Instead of funding snacks for a youth after-school program, we can now provide funds for a permanent community garden that is tended and harvested by the youth in that same after-school program. The selected organization will be featured throughout Stetson’s Homecoming Week (Nov. 3-9, 2014), as well as in a variety of marketing and public relations pieces published and distributed by the university.

The selected nonprofit organization that is awarded the Greenfeather Grant must send a representative from their organization to the closing ceremonies and to participate as a “VIP Talent Judge” at the student fundraising events. This helps them better understand our Greenfeather traditions, and helps our students and alumni learn about their organization and see the impact that their fundraising dollars will have on our local community.

Here is the link: Greenfeather Grant Application 2014. 

Come HOME, Hatters, for HOMECOMING 2014, Nov. 3-9!

by Tanner Vickers