The sorority Alpha Phi was trying to save one heart at a time during the week of Valentine’s Day. They teamed up with other Greek organizations and clubs to put on Philanthropy Week and held interactive events to raise money for the Women’s Heart Association.
Heart disease is the number one killer in women. One in three women die each year due to heart disease. Every spring semester, Alpha Phi hosts Philanthropy Week filled with activities and fun competitions in order to raise money for this cause.
This year, the theme of Philanthropy Week was Red Out Rodeo and all the events were country western themed.
The Women’s Heart Association is an important cause that representatives from many other organizations and clubs come together for during Philanthropy Week. They compete for the title of Mr. Heartthrob at the last event of the week.
This year, Sigma Chi, which is one of the fraternities on campus, won the competition after a 15 year streak and Chi Phi, which is another fraternity, came in second. Delta Psi Omega, International Student Affairs, the Center of Cultural Inclusion, Student Involvement and Leadership and the athletics department all participated as well.
Along with hosting nightly events, Alpha Phi also sold t-shirts for people to show their support, as well as roses that people could give to loved ones. They also accepted cash donations that donors placed in jars for all of the competing teams.
On Monday, the event to kick off the week was the Rodeo Relay Race. Each organization created a team of four to compete through a series of rodeo-themed obstacles, such as a game of horseshoes.
On Tuesday, they held a dodgeball tournament. Athletes from the football and basketball team came to support the event and Alpha Phi was able to raise money and advertise their cause.
Wednesday night, Alpha Phi teamed up with the Swing Dancing club to host an event for people to come learn how to swing and line dance. Many attendees enjoyed the event so much that they also went to the club’s open swing dancing meeting.
Thursday’s event, Sweet Tea and Karaoke, allowed attendees to sign up for karaoke and drink lemonade or sweet tea. It was a comical night that left the audience in tears from laughter.
The Mr. Heartthrob pageant finished off the week on Friday night. The representatives for each organization competed in a lip sync challenge and a sorority wear. They also told everyone what women mean to them and who they were raising money for.
After the entire week, Alpha Phi raised over $3,000 and crowned Sigma Chi the unbeatable winner of Mr. Heartthrob.
To learn more about Alpha Phi and their upcoming events, follow them on Instagram @alphaphisuu.
Story By: Shay Camp
shay13disney@gmail.com
Photos Courtesy of Southern Utah University
