First introduced at the 2022 National Convention in Nashville, Beta Serves is a national service project which allows Beta attending National Convention to demonstrate our motto, “Let Us Lead by Serving Others.” Through detailed research, the National Office highlights a need in the host city and partners with local organizations to allow our project to make the greatest impact.
This year, we’re partnering with the Orange County Public Schools to provide school supplies to students in Orlando. The items collected by clubs this summer will be distributed to the students in the area.
We’re asking clubs to collect items that have been requested by OCPS and bring them to National Convention. Donations have been broken up by division to ensure an equal amount of each item are collected.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to serve at the National Convention by sorting and boxing items. Additional details regarding volunteering are available below.
All members, Sponsors and guests have the opportunity to serve during National Convention. By sharing your time and energy, you are helping to make a significant impact on the lives of students in Orlando, FL.
To maximize the impact each volunteer can make, individuals can sign up to serve during the specific volunteer times as listed on the National Convention schedule. Duties involve counting, sorting and packing intake of donations. If your club is elementary or junior division, please ensure you have an adult chaperone during any service hour time. If you sign up for a specific time slot, we ask that you make plans to stay for the entirety of your registered time.
The sign up form will open in January 2025.
The top 10 schools per division who donate the most items averaged per attendee will win a plaque AND our exclusive Beta Serves Orlando pin! Awards will be given pre-session during the last session. Items will be counted based on the list below.
Examples of each item are linked in each list.
Mesh Zipper Pouch: 1 pouch= 1 item
Crayons: 24ct (Crayola Preferred but not required): (1) 24 ct crayons= 1 item
Wired Ear Buds (No Microphone required): 1 pair= 1 item
Scissors (labeled 4+, 5+, 6+, or 8+) Round-Tip or Blunt-Tip Only: 1 pair of scissors = 1 item
Wooden #2 Pencils (12 ct): (1) 12 ct pencil = 1 item
Wired Ear Buds (No Microphone required): 1 pair= 1 item
Lanyards: 1 lanyard = 1 item
Stress Balls: 1 stress ball = 1 item
Wired Ear Buds (No Microphone required): 1 pair= 1 item
Beta Serves Orlando donation drop off will be in Tondee’s Café, located just off the River Concourse. Items dropped off will be counted by a National Office staff member. Ideally, all items from a particular club should be dropped off at once. However, if your club is arriving to National Convention at different times, they may be dropped off at your convenience during the posted drop-off schedule.
| Date | Time | How to Help |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 27, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM; 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Donation Drop-Off |
| Saturday, June 28, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Donation Drop-Off (last opportunity) |
| Date | Time | How to Help |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 30, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM; 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Donation Drop-Off |
| Tuesday, July 1, 2025 | 11:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Donation Drop-Off |
| Wednesday, July 2, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Donation Drop-Off Only (last opportunity) |
| Date | Time | How to Help |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 23, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM; 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Donation Drop-Off |
| Tuesday, June 24, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM | Donation Drop-Off |
| Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM | Donation Drop-Off (last opportunity) |
The list was split between each division to ensure that we did not collect an over supply of one item and too few of others.
All students deserve to start school with new school supplies. As educators, parents, and students, we know that new school supplies boost a student’s confidence and help start the school year off on the right foot. We want to ensure all students we are serving are afforded that same opportunity.
If you bring a large pack of an item and the pack can easily be split into smaller, equal, same packs , we will divide the count requested by the number in your pack. For example: a 6-count pack of glue sticks will be counted as 3 items but a pack of 60 crayons cannot be split into equal and same packs.
The only items that we can accept if not packaged are glue sticks, scissors, pens, pencils, and highlighters. However, we do ask that these items be in the original purchase box. Example: A bulk box of 60 glue sticks will count as 30 items if they are in the original bulk packaging.
While we understand that Betas are incredibly generous with their donations, the Orange County Public Schools has a limited amount of storage to house all donations. Their team created a list based on the items that every student they serve will need. Although some students may need additional items, they requested items that were the most important.