If you were casually relaxing on or around Landis Green at 7pm last Tuesday, November 19, you were probably in for quite a shock. What would have seemed like a horde of half-naked students running around with two FSUPD officers on bicycles was actually Alpha Phi Omega’s first annual undie run of the semester.
Whimsically named “The Undie 500,” this undie run was not an act of random spontaneity, but rather an act of charity and goodwill on behalf of the co-ed service fraternity on campus, Alpha Phi Omega. Described on their Facebook event page as a “unique, fun, and creative way to collect clothes for a cause,” students were encouraged to either bring clothes or show up in clothes that they were willing to donate, shed them for a noble and worthy cause, and run a course that was charted from Landis Green, down the Legacy Walk, across the Union Green, and back up to Landis Green again. All of the clothes that they collected were donated to Tallahassee’s local homeless shelter, The Shelter.
According to The Shelter’s website, over 1,000 people in Tallahassee are homeless on any given night. The Shelter aims to respond to the needs of the Tallahassee homeless by providing them with food, clothes, medical assistance, and other services without charge. They feed over 500 people every day, provide overnight safety for 220 men, women, and children, and help meet the basic health needs of at least 150 people every night. Events like Alpha Phi Omega’s Undie 500 give additional aid to The Shelter to support them in their mission.
Lyndsey McCartney, an Alpha Phi Omega pledge who was elected Vice President of Service for her pledge class, was tasked with creating and hosting the event with the help of a small committee within the fraternity. With about 35 people participating as runners and 50 people total in attendance, the event was able to successfully contribute many donations to The Shelter without a hitch.
“We were a little worried that someone would try to be funny and just get completely naked, but thankfully that didn’t happen,” McCartney told Her Campus. “Also, there [were] a lot of people outside of HCB so when we ran by we got a lot of interesting looks.”
If any participants weren’t keen on running around in their underwear, they also had the option to bring donatable clothing in a bag or run around in a swimsuit or pajamas.
McCartney says that the organization is aiming to make the Undie 500 an annual charity event, though they expect to move it to the spring semester when the temperatures are more favorable for undie-clad runners. They anticipate on holding another Undie 500 this upcoming spring. Interested students should keep an eye out on the Alpha Phi Omega Facebook page where you can find more information about upcoming events and find out how to get involved with Alpha Phi Omega’s Spring 2014 Rush process. To find out more about The Shelter, visit tallahasseeleonshelter.com.