Trinity Students Raise More Than $15,000 for American Cancer Society

By Amy Walton ’08

February 2008 - Gamma Chi Delta sorority presented Trinity University’s third annual Concert for the Cure on Wednesday, Jan. 23, in Mabee Dining Hall. The concert, formerly known as “Dance Marathon,” is the sorority’s annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that features Texas musicians. In 2005, when the event began, two members of the sorority were cancer survivors. The group continued to choose the American Cancer Society as the recipient of its fundraising since cancer has touched so many lives.

Gammas and their co-sponsoring organizations – Kappa Kappa Delta fraternity, Phi Sigma Chi fraternity, Sigma Theta Tau sorority, Association of Student Representatives, and TIGER Council – work all year on preliminary fundraising to cover concert expenses, thus ensuring all proceeds go to charity. Such activities include Dorm Storms, benefit nights at local establishments, corporate sponsorships, and the “Men of Trinity” calendar. Joining the Gammas as major corporate sponsors this year were the Baptist Health System and the Genzyme Corp.

This year’s event featured Texas music star Roger Creager, who performed at the first Dance Marathon in November 2005. Positive student response to his earlier appearance prompted the sorority to invite him back. Opening for him was Paul Eason, a rising singer/songwriter from Austin. He entertained the crowd with songs from his debut album, “Keepin’ it ’Tween the Lines,” as well as favorites such as David Lee Murphy’s “Dust on the Bottle” and The Gourds’ adaptation of “Gin and Juice.”

Holding the event in Mabee was a change from the previous two years, where it had been in the Webster Gymnasium. The ARAMARK staff contributed by setting up a concession stand with drinks and snacks such as hot dogs, nachos, and funnel cakes, as well as having a cash bar for those over age 21.

Gamma Chi Delta sold about 450 tickets to Concert for the Cure, a record number for the event. Preliminary accounts indicate that after ticket sales, combined with previous fundraising efforts, the sorority will be able to donate more than $15,000 to the American Cancer Society this spring. The Gammas are elated with the success of their event, and are already looking forward to Concert for the Cure 2009.

Editor’s Note: Amy Walton, majoring in English, is from San Antonio. She said in a footnote to her article that she was “thrilled” with the concert and its new location and name, adding, “We’ve been working extremely hard to improve this into an event that can become a solid tradition, and I’m proud of how Concert for the Cure has developed. I really appreciated all of the support I got from Trinity staff, especially Margaret Farris and the rest of the Campus and Community Involvement office. I am also very proud of the amount of money we have raised! It shows that even a small group of people have the potential to make a significant difference if they apply themselves.”

© 2008 Trinity University