It’s common practice to sponsor someone in a race or walk-a-thon for charity, but growing a moustache?
DU Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers set up a moustache-a-thon, in which donors paid participants a set amount of money for each day fraternity brothers went without shaving.
The fundraiser is just one way DU’s Lambda Chi Alpha chapter raises money every year for their favorite charity, the National Sports Center for the Disabled, an outdoor recreation agency for people with disabilities. Last month, the fraternity presented the agency with a $16,000 check.
“That’s one of the highest numbers I’ve seen from the groups on campus,” says Megan Pendley Pickett, associate director of Campus Life.
In addition to last spring’s moustache-a-thon, the fraternity raised money from Moustache Bash, an annual concert popular among students.
The fraternity has worked with the National Sports Center for the Disabled for six years, and has contributed $45,000 to the agency over the past four years.
“We all came to Colorado to ski on weekends and take part in everything the Rockies have to offer, so we love to support an organization that allows disabled individuals to enjoy what we get to enjoy,” says Brett Parmelee, Lambda Chi Alpha president and a senior majoring in hotel, restaurant and tourism management and real estate and construction management.
Some brothers have gone a step further and become volunteer ski instructors for the center, according to Ashley Hinkle, the agency’s special events coordinator.
Each of DU’s nine fraternities and five sororities support causes such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, and the American Red Cross.
Additionally, donating money has translated into donating time for many members of DU’s Greek community, thanks in part to an initiative by the University’s Greek Council. At a DU-sponsored Student Engagement Day in September, approximately 65 percent of participants were Greek, Pickett says.
To learn more about Greek Life at DU, including the organizations DU’s fraternities and sororities support, visit www.du.edu/orgs/greeklife.