This week Sigma Chi – Kappa Psi is hosting their 11th annual philanthropy event, Derby Days! What is Derby Days, you ask? Derby Days is a competition hosted by Sigma Chi in which all of the sororities on campus compete against each other to collect the most points for participation and raise the most money. At the end of the week, the winner is announced, and half of the money raised all week is given to the winning sorority’s respective philanthropy! Sigma Chi does not profit off of any of the money that is raised. Their respective half is donated to their philanthropy, The Huntsman Cancer Institute.
The Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, was founded by Jon Huntsman, Sr., who was also a Sigma Chi. The institute not only researches, attempting to find a cure for cancer, but also treats those suffering from cancer. The sixth floor of the institute where much of the research is done is actually named after Sigma Chi. Absolutely every dollar that every Sigma Chi chapter raises goes directly to the institute, which is overall a pretty big deal. Since the chapter was installed in 2007, Sigma Chi – Kappa Psi alone has raised over $56,000, and absolutely every cent has gone toward philanthropy.
Sigma Chi – Kappa Psi hopes this year’s event will be the largest yet, as they have a goal to break $20,000 raised. The events in the competition will include the classic Penny Wars, the Hat Chase, Sign-a-Sig, a Dodgeball tournament and a field day competition! They will be hosting social events throughout the week, as well.
For the entire week in the University Center, the Penny Wars will be going on, as well as a Daily Raffle Drawing. Every day of the week, a different sorority will paint Sigma Chi’s famous white cross, and the picture will be posted all over social media in order to get as many likes and shares as possible. There is also a Painted Banner Competition, in which each sorority paints a banner that will be displayed in the University Center. Throughout the week, the brothers of Sigma Chi will be collecting cans from participants, too.
There will also be daily events – the Hat Chase and Dodgeball tournament will take place on Monday, so when you see brothers running from sorority girls with funky hats on, do not be alarmed. On Tuesday, the Field Day will commence, which will include events such as Float Your Boat, Water Balloon Toss and Tug-of-War. On Wednesday, Sign-A-Sig and Insta-Sig will take place, so make sure you find the brothers, sign them and take pictures with them! That night will be the Derby Darling competition, which is a three-round competition to determine who best exemplifies the spirit of Derby Days! On Thursday night, the brothers will host a dinner, and during the dinner, they will be auctioning off brothers…which sounds weird, but if you need a car wash or some cleaning done, maybe you should show up with a cash or check in hand. After the dinner, the brothers will also be hosting “double points” night at the house and encouraging participants to show up and dish out as many donations as possible since they will count for double the amount! Friday will conclude the week of Derby Days, and that night they will announce the winners.
Even if you are not involved in Greek life and would like to participate, there are still ways to get involved! You are welcome to donate canned goods or money, as every cent goes directly to philanthropy. The brothers are also taking online donations, and that link will be floating all around social media, so do not hesitate to participate.
Derby Days is an exciting time of the year, so be sure to get out there and contribute to this fraternity’s success in raising money to fight cancer. Together, we are the generation to end cancer.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/horses-horse-racing-racetrack-2523301/