The University of West Florida Sigma Chi Fraternity raised $10,500 last week for philanthropy organizations during its third annual Derby Days event.
Derby Days is a week-long competition in which sororities Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Gamma Delta and Phi Sigma Sigma compete for points to raise money for their particular philanthropies.
Members of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority participate in the dodgeball tournament at the third annual Derby Days event. Their coach, Justin Powell, watches as the girls get ready to play against the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. (Photo special to The Voyager)
“It’s all about raising money,” Kayla Thompson, a senior elementary education major, said. Thompson served as the “Derby Darling,” or representative, for Alpha Delta Pi.
The week’s events included a dance-off, cook-off, Derby Coach Southern Belle dress-up competition, dodgeball, tug-o-war, coin war, Sign-a-Sig and Derby Chase.
“You’re having fun and it’s for a great cause,” said Raul Martinez, Sigma Chi president and senior marketing major.
Sign-a-Sig is an event in which Sigma Chi members wear white T-shirts on campus all day and sorority members sign their shirts. The sorority with the most signatures gets the most points.
In Derby Chase, Sigma Chi members wear derby hats, and the sorority members try to take the hats from them. The sorority is awarded points for every hat they can take.
“My favorite part was the dance off,” said Lauren Broeking, Alpha Gamma Delta Derby Darling and senior nursing major. “I think it was the most fun.”
The specific philanthropies are chosen by the fraternity and sororities.
“The Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah is Sigma Chi’s main philanthropy,” Martinez said. “They have made significant strides in cancer research. All of their research is posted publicly. That way different research firms can use the information to help fight cancer.”
Martinez said no SGA funding was given to the event, and everything was done out of the Sigma Chi budget. This year’s event cost $1,500 to put on.
Adam Hamilton, the philanthropy chair for Sigma Chi, said forty percent of the money raised goes to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and fifty percent is given back to each sorority for its individual philanthropies based on how many points they earn throughout the week.
An extra 10 percent of the money raised is designated to the winning sorority. This year, the winner was Alpha Delta Pi. The sorority can then allocate the funds to their charities of choice.
Alpha Chi Omega finished second, Alpha Gamma Delta finished third, and Phi Sigma Sigma finished fourth.
Out of the total amount raised, $4,200 went to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and $6,300 went to the sororities’ philanthropies.
The primary source of money raised is from donations and sponsorships. Local businesses and organizations purchased ads for an ad booklet or ads to go back on the weekly T-shirt.
“It’s a really intense week, but it’s really fun,” said Trisha Johnson, former Alpha Gamma Delta Derby Darling and senior psychology major. “It’s still being perfected because it’s still so new, but it wins money for philanthropies.”
Money was also raised via coin wars and T-shirt sales. Sororities were given points for the amount of money raised during coin wars and the amount of T-shirts bought.
This was the third annual Derby Days event week. Hamilton said that in just one year, the amount of funds raised has doubled. This is the second consecutive year that more than $10,000 was raised, versus 2009 when $5,000 was the grand total.
“I was very happy with the outcome of the week,” Broeking said. “I think it’s a great cause and it allows people to get to know other people in other organizations and getting closer with your own organization.”
Garrett Spencer
Staff Writer
