The men of Alpha Mu Delta at Rollins College recently held a Spikeball philanthropy event, in coordination with Delta Zeta, with all proceeds going to the Starkey Hearing Foundation. The Alpha sold t-shirts and entry tickets to the annual tournament. The entry fee was $20 per team or $10 per person, and they did a bracket-style competition in a central location on campus. The winning team even took home Spikeball sets and hats.
“All proceeds go to the Starkey Hearing Foundation,” says Nate Barret, MΔ ’23, the current External VP. “It’s such a fun game that people enjoy around here, and you can play with up to four people with simultaneous games going on in a smaller space. It was really fun.”
Putting the competition in a heavily-trafficked part of the Rollins campus allowed the men to attract attention to the event, and therefore, the cause.
“It was ideal for a philanthropy event,” says Barrett. “It captured everything we want: having a lot of people participate, having lots of spectators, and bringing attention to what we’re doing to garner more support.”
Barrett mentions that it’s also a great bonding and Brotherhood event, because it’s something fun that serves a great purpose and the community. The Alpha’s thought is that money is important, but raising awareness is the bigger picture behind everything.
“We had worked with [the Starkey Hearing Foundation] in the past,” says Barrett. “We thought it would be great to continue this tradition. Plus, their values align with ours and it’s a cause we want to help support.
For those who want to give, they can still do so after the fact HERE.
Mu Delta also recently ran a fundraiser for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation on September 11 that raised more than $4,000 on social media alone. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation helps people who suffered during 9/11 with medical bills, overall aid, or anything else they might need.
“The word about that event really got out there on social media,” says Barrett. “It was great. We did a smaller event for a great cause, and the word just kept spreading on social media. We were really pleased with the outcome.”
Barrett says they wanted to do something outdoors during COVID-19, so more than a dozen Brothers woke up early on 9/11 and completed the 100-plus staircases at the Rollins soccer stadium. For the Alpha, it was a cause that they felt passionate about, and a way to support the people who put their lives on the line for our country.
“Nowadays, people feel overshadowed with the pandemic, politics, and other current events,” says Barrett. “Those are all really important things, but we wanted to put a spotlight on this greater purpose on a day of intense remembrance in America.”
The Alpha is also going to cook dinner for all the dining hall workers of Rollins at the Campus Center in December, which is a service event they are really looking forward to.
“We’re going to buy food, grill out, and serve it to people who have been serving to us through COVID-19; some of us for two, three, or four years,” says Barrett. “We want to give back to the people who work so hard to keep us fed and show that they care about us.”
As a group, Barrett says the men of Mu Delta are working hard on their philanthropy projects because they’re inspired to do better and help people going through hard times.
“It’s critical for us to take a step back and realize how fortunate we are to be in an organization that cares about other people and inspires us to want to do better,” he says. “It’s important for us to keep in mind on a regular basis how we can give back and continue to support the community and bring people together. We have the ability to do so much for other people – why would we not?”
As a Chi Psi specifically, Barrett mentions that service being a major pillar of the Fraternity is something that motivates him and his Brothers in Mu Delta.
“It makes me proud to be a Chi Psi,” he says. “You hear a lot of negative things about fraternities these days, but one special thing that Chi Psi does throughout the entire organization is they strive to really help others and create good in this world. It leads you to focus your attention on the most important things, like creating and maintaining the Brotherhood through servitude that we talk about. Often times these service events become highlights of our undergraduate years and end up bringing us all closer together.”
