On Nov. 18, 2010, Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Tau Omega fraternities lugged over 110 donation items into The Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center at the University of Maryland for the two chapters’ 8th Annual Bids for Kids silent auction.
In November 1999, Tri Delta announced St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its national philanthropic partner. Across the country, members of the fraternity raised money and awareness for the children of St. Jude. According to the St. Jude mission statement, “The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.”
In 2006, Tri Delta challenged its members to raise $10 million in 10 years, but by May 2010, six years earlier than expected, the fraternity met the goal. In July 2010, Tri Delta announced its next and current challenge of its hope to raise $15 million in 5 years.
Upon entering the Alumni Center, a few items, such as an Amazon Kindle, Bose headphones, and a VIP table for an upcoming Sebastian Ingrosso concert at Fur Nightclub, were being raffled off with tickets. An arm’s length of tickets could be purchased for $20 and distributed into the boxes in front of each item in hopes of later being the lucky winner.
Inside the main room, students, friends, and family circled the perimeter to view the other items being auctioned. These items included, but were not limited to, gift cards for local College Park eateries, a gold Michael Kors watch, Vineyard Vines attire, an antique set of silverware, and a Coach pocketbook were among the lavish donated gifts.
“My favorite thing there was definitely the two hours of yard work by ATO,” senior hearing and speech sciences major Rachel Rhodes, philanthropy chairman of Tri Delta, said. “It was hilarious how the bid sheet turned into a battle of the frats.”
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, who had paired with Tri Delta for Bids for Kids, offered its members services to do seasonal yard work. After a pricey battle, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity walked away with the winning bid of $350.
Later in the evening a live auction took place where items such as a David Yurman bracelet and an iPad 2 were bid on. The iPad went for over $700, one of the highest purchases of the evening.
“My favorite part of the event was actually seeing it all come together,” Rhodes said. “I remember how nervous I was in September thinking I wouldn’t get any baskets. I never thought it’d end up like it did. It was a great feeling getting to the event and seeing so many people there; especially other college students which we had never really had before.”
The evening was a roaring success and Bids for Kids raised $18,201 in donations. The next day Tri Delta participated in the St. Jude Give Thanks Walk, which raised an additional $5,799. The grand total? An astounding $24,000! Thus making The University of Maryland Tri Delta chapter the highest grossing fundraisers nationally.