Iota-Kappa Raises More Than $10,000 for St. Jude

The Iota-Kappa chapter at Clarkson University recently wrapped up their third annual Teke Week which raised $5,900 for St. Jude and brought their total St. Jude dollars raised this year to $10,105. Additionally, $500 was donated to the Alzheimer's Association from their Teke Week.  

"The chapter as a whole has a lot of guys who share that same passion for St. Jude. Everyone has fun doing everything at Teke Week because they know all their hard work is going toward a great cause," Prytanis Ethan Ross-Hixon said. 

Iota-Kappa's Teke Week began at midnight on a Monday with their "TKE Saw" event, where Tekes took turns riding a teeter-totter for 24 consecutive hours. Tuesday featured a mini golf event where the course was cleverly designed using the letters T-K-E, as pictured above.  

Wednesday was their "Paint a Teke" event with water balloons and washable paint. The next day consisted of a car smash event where students could take turns smashing a car that was donated from a local junk yard. 

Friday was their big BBQ event on campus and Saturday concluded their annual Teke Week with a tug of war tournament. With many events throughout the week, the chapter starts planning early in the fall semester when their Philanthropy Committee meets to discuss creative ideas. 

"St. Jude is a great cause. When I was younger, a family friend had a child diagnosed with cancer and they actually went to St. Jude for treatment. I've seen how much of a difference it can make in someone's life, and that's very important to me," Ross-Hixon said. 

Twelve men from Iota-Kappa also attended Province Forums this year and five attended a Regional Leadership Conference in February. Frater Ethan credits the curriculum from these programs with assisting their goals. 

"When people come back from these conferences, they have a new sense of motivation. I think that really helps fire things up and really gets things done in terms of fundraising," Ross-Hixon added. 

In addition to their philanthropic endeavors, the chapter has more than 1,500 community service hours. Many of those service hours came from volunteering at a St. Jude Up 'til Dawn event and Relay For Life. 

The chapter also received a generous donation from one of their alumni members. Frater Dave Walsh made a substantial contribution to their cause on behalf of his 50th-anniversary college reunion.