PI CHI OMEGA SUPPLEMENT: Beehive Project Creates Buzz

One recent Pi Chi Omega project that has been creating quite a "buzz" is its participation in the Heifer Project International, an effort to help families in need throughout the world.

Under the program, donations are collected and used to purchase some form of livestock or agricultural commodity, such as chickens, ducks, geese, and, among many other creatures, honeybees. The animals are then given to families in need in developing countries, who are taught to use them as a form of income. Families in need in 118 countries, including the U.S., receive these gifts, along with training on land stewardship, recycling and the development of locally sustainable food systems.

Fraternity member Dr. Austin Frishman, who is spearheading Pi Chi Omega’s involvement, first heard about the program three years ago, when he received a brochure from Heifer Project International. Upon learning that honeybees were part of the program, Frishman saw an instant fit with the industry and with Pi Chi Omega. "I saw this opportunity and thought it would be good for our fraternity," Frishman said. "Knowing the members, I felt I could touch the right nerve with them about wanting to give to this project and they do."

Under the Heifer program, honeybees are the most inexpensive of all the animals that can be purchased: A donation of $30 covers the purchase and delivery of one beehive, as well as the necessary training. But, Frishman notes, even one hive can make a difference for a family in need. The hives provide various sources of income: besides the abundant honey they produce, bees also produce valuable beeswax and they serve as a source of pollen.

"It’s a great opportunity for Pi Chi Omega to go out and touch people," says Frishman. "Thirty dollars goes a long way to a person who has nothing."

The fraternity has participated in the program for three years now. Donations have purchased hives for families in such countries as Tanzania, Kenya and Argentina, among many others. And each year, donations to the project have increased substantially. Last year, Pi Chi Omega members raised enough funds for the purchase and delivery of 72 hives. This year, in honor of the fraternity’s 50th anniversary, Frishman hopes to raise enough money to purchase 100 hives. He is well on the way to achieving that goal: To date, Frishman has raised enough money for more than 80 hives.

While many Pi Chi Omega members have already donated to this cause, Frishman points out all members of the industry are invited to participate. PCOs interested in contributing should send their donations to Pi Chi Omega Executive Director Dr. William Jackson, Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403. (Make checks payable to Pi Chi Omega — Beehive Project.)