Delta-Lambda Chapter Faculty and Staff BBQ

Last Spring, the Delta-Lambda chapter took over the TKE HQ Snapchat to share this event with TKE Nation. If you have an event that you would like to share, reach out to us on social media or email us at TKEOGC@TKE.org to discuss it.

This spring, the Delta-Lambda Chapter at the University of Central Missouri decided to give back to their campus community in a way that no Greek organization had before. They organized a BBQ for all of the Facilities Operations and Planning (FPO) employees across their campus.

They did this to show them how grateful they are for what they do. Frater Zack Fry shared, “They’re the true heroes of our campus. They do not receive the proper recognition they deserve, which is true for a lot of schools and even businesses across the country.”

The idea initially came from a distinguished alumnus by the name Drew Frizzell. You can learn more about Drew in the summer 2017 Issue of THE TEKE for his recent induction into the University of Central Missouri’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Drew has always been a man of profound character, that has continued to inspire our chapter time and time again. He mentioned the idea a while back, and it always stuck in the back of my head,” said Fry.

That idea came to the forefront one beautiful day in February. Thinking that it would be wonderful to have a bbq once he got off work, he recalled the idea from Frizzell. Feeling inspired, he reached out to Kimari Pitman, the Assistant Administrative Manager of FPO. She was ecstatic about the concept and remained the group's primary point of contact.

The chapter worked closely with Adam & Maddy Nacke, the owners of Planet Sub and Fry’s current employers, to set up the event. Adam and Maddy both were excited about the idea and provided cases of water, cups, ice, bbq sauce, gloves and chips - which helped the chapter to pull off the event.

“I was originally concerned about chapter participation when hosting the event because it was planned for noon on Wednesday, April 18th, which is when a lot of people have class. I was truly amazed at the number of teachers willing to excuse our men from class to assist in hosting the event,” Fry recalled.

The event helped to establish an immediate sense of community among the faculty, staff and the members of TKE. Fry shares that this could not have come at a better time.

“Schools across Missouri have been facing budget cuts, and everyone has been concerned with whether or not they will still have a job at UCM, or if their program would be cut. I firmly believe it allowed people to forget about that for a little while and be thankful to be living in that moment.”

In addition to impacting their local community, Delta-Lambda also reached out to the Offices of the Grand Chapter in hopes of sharing their idea with TKE Nation. To accomplish this, The OGC let Delta-Lambda take over the official TKE Snapchat channel (TKE_Fraternity), an opportunity available to any chapter or alumni group who has an event they would like to share.

Fry remarked, “We were grateful to have been given the privilege to take over HQ Snapchat to broadcast the event. Frater Braden Smith did a wonderful job of hosting throughout the event.”

The only setback? What should have been a beautiful spring day turned into a cold and rainy spring day – which was less than ideal for a BBQ. Not to be deterred, the group successfully pushed through. Not only were the faculty pleased, but the chapter reports that morale and motivation among the members immediately increased at the conclusion of the event. An event that they have continued to replicate throughout the summer.

“Drew told me that, we might not realize it, but what we were doing was going to impact the men and women of FPO greatly -  he was 100% right. There have been instances where FPO employees recognized our members off campus and could not stop thanking us for the bbq, which happened almost three months ago.” Fry explained with excitement.

The chapter noted that people took to social media saying things like, “FPO can be greatly underappreciated on campus, but these sweet guys really made everyone feel special!!”

Delta-Lambda’s faculty and staff bbq may have been a small gesture of gratitude, one easily replicated across TKE Nation, but it shows that even small gestures have a significant impact. Months later, these ripple effects are still serving to inspire their community and their members.