Sonoma State University’s very own fraternity, Phi Delta Theta Cal Sigma, commonly known as “Phi Delt”, raised over twenty thousand dollars to help fight Cystic Fibrosis. The philanthropy event itself lasted for a week on Sonoma State’s campus and featured a giant teeter-totter occupied by two people at all times.
This year was Phi Delta Theta’s 20th Anniversary of their Teeter Totter philanthropy event. The event began after a fellow brother, Woody Bolin was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Due to the fact that there is currently no cure for Cystic Fibrosis, Bolin eventually passed away, creating an even bigger drive for the members of Phi Delt to raise awareness and money for CF.
“This event is a big deal because we lost one of our fraternity brothers to this disease,” says Patrick Stack, a fourth-year Phi Delta Theta brother, “it shows that we, as a fraternity, are based on tradition and that we will continue to battle Cystic Fibrosis for him.”
Phi Delta Theta’s goal for this event was to raise a lot of money, specifically $20,000 in celebration of the philanthropy’s 20th anniversary. But despite the drive to raise money, the brothers of Phi Delt also banded together to raise awareness on and off-campus. Students, alumni, and faculty all joined to participate in the philanthropy event.
“I went through my four years at Sonoma State participating in Phi Delt’s Teeter Totter event,” says Ashley Llamas, a local Sonoma State alumni, “It is a special event to everyone and I am just thankful that such an important event as this is open to the public and alumni, like me, to come out and support the cause.”
The actual amount raised by Phi Delta Theta was $21,335 this year, beating any amount of money raised in the past and breaking their initial goal of $20,000. Although the actual philanthropy event only lasted a week on Sonoma State’s campus, Phi Delt has been raising money for months leading up to Teeter Totter.
“We had a link to donate online and had many months in advance to reach out to our networks before the actual event,” says Stack, “It was also helpful reaching out to alumni so early.”
All of the money raised goes directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and will be used to raise awareness of the disease and to find a cure. All fraternities and sororities on campus also participated in this event, making it more special to not only Phi Delta Theta, but also the other greek life organizations, and the victims of Cystic Fibrosis.
“It’s amazing to see so many people from so many different backgrounds, come together for one cause,” says Regan Chambers, a fourth-year student and member of Alpha Xi Delta, “Teeter Totter is another example that whether you are affected personally by Cystic Fibrosis, know someone with the disease, or just want to support fellow greek life, all sororities and fraternities join together to support one another and our philanthropies.”
The brothers of Phi Delta Theta Cal Sigma hope to continue to challenge themselves every year to raise more money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and believe that they can achieve any goal they set their minds on.
“Next year our goal is to be better,” says Stack, “In that case, more money donated and even more people coming out to the event during the week. We are always looking to improve in all aspects.”
