NIU fraternity and sorority members volunteered to assemble boutonnieres Saturday for the troops in the Gulf.

Jodi Pressendo, Alpha Phi sorority philanthropy chairman, organized the project to raise money for the American Heart Association’s Heart Fund, the sorority’s philanthropy.

Pressendo said 14 sororities and fraternities participated. Some houses joined as teams, others volunteered alone and some donated money, she said.

Participating teams included Alpha Omicron Pi and Sigma Pi, Delta Chi and Alpha Sigma Alpha and Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Lambda.

Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Gamma, Sigma Nu, Phi Kappa Theta and Sigma Alpha Mu participated singly.

Sigma Chi and Phi Kappa Sigma fraternities donated money, Pressendo said.

Pressendo said she ordered kits containing the boutonniere pieces from the Flags in the Desert Committee. Special education teacher Larry Baron heads the committee which runs through Homewood-Flossmoor High School, she said.

“He (Baron) told me about the committee when I called him for a reference,” Pressendo said. “I thought it was a great idea.”

The Flags in the Desert Committee promotes a national effort to send boutonnieres to the troops, Pressendo said. Their goal is to send 300,000 boutonnieres, she said.

The kits, Pressendo said, cost Alpha Phi $125 each. An extra $25 was added on to raise money for the Heart Fund, she added.

Pressendo said the boutonnieres are made up of a red, white and blue silk flower attached to a silk leaf with an American flag. The leaf is pinned onto a card reading “we appreciate you,” she said.

“The project started at 1 p.m. Saturday and ended at 3 p.m.,” Pressendo said. “We turned it into a contest to see who could assemble an entire kit first.”

Alpha Omicron Pi and Sigma Pi nabbed the first place prize of $90, Pressendo said. The other participants will receive thank-you letters, she said.

“I think a lot of people realize what a great idea this is,” Pressendo said. “I’d like to see other universities participating as well.”