Monmouth University Tekes Raise $2,400 for St. Jude

In the weeks following the announcement of Tau Kappa Epsilon's $2.6 million, six-year commitment to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, chapters and colonies across TKE Nation have stepped up their fundraising efforts in a big way! The Kappa-Kappa chapter at Monmouth University is the most recent group to demonstrate their commitment to the children of St. Jude. On Tuesday, February 23, the Kappa-Kappa chapter held its annual fundraiser, "Dancing with the Tekes," on the Monmouth University Pollak Theatre stage. 

The event consists of contestants, either individuals or groups, choreographing their own dance routine to perform in front of five judges and a couple hundred individuals in attendance. The five judges, who each score on a possible maximum of 20, look for level of skill, creativity, style and precision. The turnout was extremely positive in terms of talent and funds for St. Jude. 

"We take great pride in supporting the children and their families throughout their cancer treatment at St. Jude," says chapter Prytanis Matthew Sheehan. "Fortunately, with the support of the entire campus, we raised just under $2,500 from this one event, putting us over $6,000 for the year."

The efforts demonstrated by the chapter's commitment to the children of St. Jude was matched with support of another notable organization, Be the Match. 

The day prior to "Dancing with the Tekes," the Kappa-Kappa chapter held a Bone Marrow Registry Drive on campus to increase the chances of saving a child with a disease or cancer in need of a bone marrow transplant.

The drive was run with the help of an outside group, Be the Match.

"The process was as easy as taking a few cotton swab samples of the inside of your cheeks," explains Matthew. "The samples are put into a massive registry database that Be The Match has and if anyone from our campus is a match they will be personally contacted to see if they are willing to follow through with the donation."

Be the Match has served as a resource for the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. 

"We had great support from our own brothers as well as other organizations and individuals on campus with our event and look forward to changing the lives of those in dire need!"