Canadians Go Greek: the source for Canadian Chapters

The Fulcrum, University of Ottawa Student Newspaper - April 6, 2005

By Greg Gallagher, Staff Writer

MEMBERS OF TRI-DELTA sorority’s U of O chapter held their ninth annual Dance-a-Thon on March 31 in the Unicentre to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) cancer wing.

Members danced from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Agora space in the Unicentre. Participants took turns on the floor beneath the multi-coloured strobe lights while a constant flow of dance music played. Those not dancing carried collection boxes, asking for donations from passers-by.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Tri-Delta had collected $1,650, with more donations expected from alumni and corporate sponsors. Each Tri-Delta member had been asked to raise at least $100 in pledges.

According to Tri-Delta’s vice-president of public relations, Nicole Sanders, this year’s event is the chapter’s biggest charitable fundraising event.

Sanders said the event raised approximately $3,500 in 2003 and $4,500 in 2002.

Tri-Delta is among North America’s oldest sororities and fraternities, founded in 1888 at Boston University. Figures show that the organization has raised more than $10 million in charitable donations since 1974.

The organization’s U.S. wing formed a partnership with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1999, which is now the group’s main philanthropic pursuit. In the same spirit, the Canadian wing of Tri-Delta formed a partnership with CHEO.

"We decided to do something more local, so we chose CHEO [and its] cancer wing for children, so it’s just tying in with our international philosophy," explained Sanders.

Sanders added that Tri-Delta’s U of O chapter, in keeping with the organization’s philanthropic goals, actively participates in the community in other ways as well, including events such as the CIBC Run for the Cure, which raises money for breast cancer research.

Shannon Kennedy, president of the U of O Tri-Delta chapter, pointed out that Tri-Delta and its members seek to break cultural stereotypes long associated with sororities and fraternities.

"Our goal is to change the stereotype and stigma. We’re active in the community," she said. "Overall, events like [the Dance-a-Thon] broaden and grow people’s characters."