UH Hilo Student Pharmacists, Peers Raise Money for Volcano Victims

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo announced that members of a professional pharmacy fraternity at Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy reached out to peers via social media to help raise funds for those affected by Kīlauea volcano.

Members of DKICP’s Kappa Psi fraternity went online to encourage their peers to donate to the cause. Between June 10 and 24, 2018, they collected nearly $400, which was donated to Hawaiʻi Food Basket.

“We chose this organization because they really advertised their relief efforts on their website when we were researching which organization to donate to,” said Josephine McDonald, one of Kappa Psi’s community service co-chairs from the Class of 2021. “It seemed like the logical thing to do when we come into contact with so many people in the community who have been affected.”

McDonald and Anthony Peguese, both members of the Epsilon Psi chapter at DKICP, posted the information to the national members on social media.

“There aren’t a lot of student pharmacists in Hilo this summer because they are off with rotations and other projects during the summer,” said McDonald, who was conducting her summer experiential work in Guam. “We were still able to raise money by reaching out to thousands of student pharmacists online.”

Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity is the oldest and largest professional pharmacy fraternity in the world, with more than 6,000 collegiate members and over 87,000 graduate members across the United States, Canada and the Bahamas. The Epsilon Psi chapter at UH Hilo has been active since 2013.