The University of Tennessee Celebrates Zeta Tau Alpha’s Annual Philanthropy Week

At the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, membership in a fraternity or sorority offers students a unique way to engage in the value of philanthropy, with each organization supporting their own unique cause. This past week at UT, the ladies of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority held their annual fundraising week for their philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness.

The week kicked off on Feb. 26 with Zeta Tau Alpha’s annual Breast Day Ever event. On this day, the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha, as a chapter, are challenged with the goal of raising $10,000 in twenty-four hours for their philanthropy. One way the members of Zeta Tau Alpha fundraised to meet their chapter goal was by reaching out to friends and family via social media platforms to educate them on their philanthropy and provide them with a link to donate. For this twenty-four hour period, social media platforms were painted pink with posts by members of Zeta Tau Alpha to advertise Breast Day Ever and encourage donations.

“For this generation, using social media as a way to promote our philanthropy is very useful,” says Maddie Moeller, Zeta Tau Alpha’s social media chair. “You’d be surprised how many people we reach out to who don’t know anything about breast cancer education and awareness and after we are done informing them on how great of a cause it is, donating isn’t even a question for them.”

Another way that members fundraised to meet their chapter goal was seen in the Breast Day Ever celebration, which was displayed on UT’s Pedestrian Walkway all day Tuesday. The Breast Day Ever celebration on Pedestrian Walkway consisted of an all pink booth, music, and members of Zeta Tau Alpha who were ready to educate their peers on the importance of their philanthropy and encourage donations. From 9a.m. until 3 p.m., students walking down Pedestrian Walkway were able to donate to the chapter’s philanthropy by buying raffle tickets, tickets to upcoming Zeta Tau Alpha philanthropy events, donating, and much more. By the end of the day, the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha exceeded their goal of $10,000, by raising $18,600.

Zeta Tau Alpha’s philanthropy week continued on Feb. 28, when the third annual Zeta Tau Alpha Big Man on Campus event was held. This event was held at UT Alumni Memorial Building and generated a sale of over 300 tickets, all proceeds going towards charity. This annual event consisted of a male pageant, where male students from UT competed to win the title of Zeta Tau Alpha’s Big Man on Campus. Throughout the contest, members of Zeta Tau Alpha held several presentations explaining their philanthropy, including a Kahoot quiz on breast cancer education and awareness where people in the crowd could participate on their phones to win a prize.

“Big Man on Campus is by far my favorite philanthropy event out of all of the events that are put on by our greek community,” said Stephen Hampton, a contestant for Big Man on Campus. “It’s a fun way to educate people on Zeta’s philanthropy and it pulls our whole community together to support a cause.”