On Saturday, September 23rd, four members of the Beta Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon participated in the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer that took place in Peoria, Illinois. The members who participated were Tyler Haub, Tyler Huber, Logan Caspar, and Brody Elder. Their team was named BetaTke, and although they were small compared to other groups who participated in the event, BetaTke still managed to raise $715 for the cause. The three mile event started at 8:35 AM, and the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon had completed their walk by 9:35 AM. The overall event was a huge success for St. Jude. The 50+ teams who participated in the Walk/Run raised a total of $127,348 for the organization.

The fraternity of Tau Kappa Epsilon has two philanthropies that they focus on supporting through fundraisers and other events: St. Jude and the Alzheimer’s Association. Both causes are dear to the hearts of the men of TKE, and this Walk/Run was no different. All of the men were “very excited” to be able to take part in the event and raise money and awareness for St. Jude. Senior Tyler Haub said that seeing all those who are affected by childhood cancer at the event, and hearing some of them share their own stories, was “very humbling, and brought meaning to our effort to raise money and support the event.” The other members of Team BetaTke agreed, and said that they were “honored to represent” their fraternity, as well as St. Jude. Haub, who is the Head of Philanthropy for Tau Kappa Epsilon, said his goal was of course to raise money for the worthy organization, but also to “reach out and get more people involved with the community.” Junior Logan Caspar also felt that the TKE involvement in the Walk/Run was “a great start to [TKE’s] fundraising this semester” and he hopes that TKE can “continue to raise funds for this wonderful cause throughout the rest of the semester.”

St. Jude is supported by other Greek organizations, some of which are present on campus. The sorority of Delta Delta Delta are also huge supporters of St. Jude, and hold events on campus regularly to raise money. Their largest event is Sincerely Yours, and the chapter has raised over $20,000 in past years during their event. Sincerely Yours takes place in the spring, where the members of Delta Delta Delta get together and write letters to friends and loved ones to ask them to donate to St. Jude. Tri Delta’s biggest public event is DHOP, and just like Sincerely Yours, all of the proceeds of DHOP go directly to St. Jude.

This involvement of TKE in the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer is just one example of the amazing philanthropic and community outreach work that Greek life here at Millikin University participate in consistently. We are proud of the work that these members of Tau Kappa Epsilon put in to raise money for the event and are excited to see what work they do in the future. Events like this–on and off campus–happen all the time, so make sure to support all Greek life at Millikin with your time or monetary donations. Keep your eyes open to upcoming events that are taking place this semester.