Carnivals and Competition Bring Fundraising Success for Alpha Mu

The Alpha Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta hosts spring and fall philanthropy events each year. Each event brings several opportunities for the women of our chapter to participate, as well as plenty of opportunities for support and donations from the Mizzou and greater-Columbia, Missouri, communities.

During the spring semester of 2016, we held two philanthropy events. The first was a dinner on April 14^th called CASA Carnival, where we served hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, cotton candy, and local Andy’s frozen custard. Beautiful carnival-themed decorations made by the women of our chapter accompanied the tasty food and created an overall atmosphere full of excitement. It was such a blast to see our sisters spinning cotton candy, dancing to the music, and hosting all of our guests. We had over 300 people come, and we raised $2,000 in one night!

Our second event was our sand volleyball tournament on April 23^rd called Bump, Set, Kite. We had 28 teams of students sign up, raising $1,700. It was an absolutely gorgeous day full of intense plays and some serious competition. A few Thetas “coached” each team and showed their players energetic support through both wins and losses. We are so thankful for the MizzouRec for their sand volleyball courts and for all the students who participated so enthusiastically!

In addition to our spring philanthropy events, we also held two profit shares: one at Chipotle and one at Harold’s Donuts, raising a total of $325. We also made T-shirts for the events, partnering with a company that donated 10% of the sales, raising another $125.

In total, we raised $4,164 for Heart of Missouri CASA and Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation in the spring semester of 2016, and we could not be prouder of all the women that made it happen or more thankful for everyone who donated and showed their support for our cause!

This semester, we look forward to our annual fall philanthropy, Flapjacks and Quarterbacks. We will host a flag football tournament and a pancake dinner, which raised over $8,000 last year alone! At the community dinner, we invite guests to enjoy pancakes and coffee with us in our house–a warm and pleasant break from the typical cold November weather.

Then, much like our sand volleyball tournament, groups of students will put together teams “coached” by Thetas to participate in a highly competitive flag football tournament. Thetas always have a blast cheering on their teams, making posters and even team shirts to support their fellow Mizzou students.

This year, we are also introducing the first ever Theta Glow Run. We plan to have a 5K course start and finish at the Theta house, making its way through campus and even past Mizzou’s famous historic columns. We hope that adding this event will attract more members of the Columbia community, leading to more donations and recognition for all of the amazing things Court Appointed Special Advocates and Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation do. We are so excited for this new opportunity to show our love and support for our amazing philanthropies!