The Alpha Iota Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity at Auburn University is like so many other chapters. But their experience in reconnecting to the mission has shifted their trajectory to greater heights.
Coming out of the pandemic, Alpha Iota was one of the strongest fraternities on campus, but Philanthropy Chair Joseph Tewksbury and the chapter knew something was missing. They were missing their commitment to service.
“After being initiated in the fall of 2020, I had only seen unsuccessful events, but we knew our chapter had a strong history with The Ability Experience. I ran for Philanthropy Chair with a platform to bring that back. From day one, the entire fraternity rallied behind this goal and had complete buy-in.” Joseph Tewksbury
And did they ever! Their War of the Roses event inspired the community to raise $66,000, shattering their original goal three-fold.
Adding to this success, they also had their first cycling event team member in over a decade when Chase DuMond cycled Gear Up Florida. Chase’s life-changing experience has inspired four more brothers from his chapter to cycle this year.
“I think about Gear Up Florida every day and get emotional talking about it. It didn’t feel like it was life-changing at the moment, but I would leave a friendship visit to see how much the experience meant to our team and the people we visited. It fills up a spot in your heart and is pretty special.” – Chase DuMond
Joseph was just elected chapter president and has set the chapter’s sights on service. They will volunteer with the Miracle League of East Alabama as coaches and organize an Ability Camp with Camp ASCCA.
“Before this, I don’t think our chapter realized how much we could accomplish. We now have the confidence to move forward, knowing we can hit bigger goals to help others.” – Joseph Tewksbury
Joseph’s Dad shared that he is grateful for this experience because the chapter probably learned more from this experience than they did in any classroom.
Thank you for supporting students like Joseph and Chase to bring these lessons of service to life. Your support makes this impact possible—this is only the beginning for these men.
Thank you for believing in the power of experiences just like this and giving in 2022. Please stay tuned as we continue to rebuild these connections and share stories of impact.
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