FLINT, Michigan — A group of students at Kettering University will be hosting a holiday-themed fundraiser this week to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Members of the university’s Kappa Sigma chapter of the Theta Xi fraternity have organized the event, which will invite students and community members to compete in a turkey toss at Kettering’s campus in Flint.
Beginning Monday and continuing every day through Friday, the turkey toss will be held from 12:20 - 1:20 p.m. in the courtyard next to the Learning Commons, a brand-new building on campus.
Charlie Sweet is studying chemical engineering and business management at Kettering and serves as Theta Xi’s philanthropy and service chairman.
“I’m just really excited to have everybody get together and have some fun, while also having the opportunity to give back to a good cause,” Sweet said.
Each day, a Jersey Mike’s gift card will be awarded to the person who can throw a frozen turkey the farthest. In addition, each of the Greek houses on campus will be competing for a championship belt to be awarded at the end of the week for the greatest total distance thrown.
The national Theta Xi organization has chosen the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as a partner organization, and members of the Kappa Sigma chapter at Kettering host at least one fundraiser per term for the nonprofit.
The fraternity, which currently has 11 members, held a very successful pumpkin carving contest in October of 2021 for the same cause.
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The home base for Kettering University's Theta Xi Fraternity, located in Flint.According to their website, the National MS Society’s mission is to “cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.”
Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. Nearly 1 million people in the U.S. are affected by MS.
Theta Xi president Cody Bradshaw is studying electrical engineering and looks forward to increasing the scale of their fundraisers in the future.
The group hopes to raise $2,000 this week during the turkey toss. “I’m hoping that if we’re getting a little bit more involvement through local businesses and things like that, that we can bump that number up [in the future],” he said.
Bradshaw says that joining the fraternity has pushed him outside of his comfort zone, and as a result, he’s learned a great deal about leadership.
Leadership is emphasized within the fraternity, and members have the chance to attend summits to work on those skills. “All of that experience really helps me get to where I aim to go,” said Bradshaw.
Sweet emphasized the bonds he’s built with fellow members. “This fraternity has really been my home away from home,” he said. “When I finally got to campus, I just kind of met a few people that became, I mean truly, my brothers.”
“Without that, I really don’t know where I would be today. I’m really thankful for it,” Sweet added.
Members of Theta Xi have set up a crowd-funding site to assist in the fundraiser. Donations can be made here: thetaxi.crowdchange.co/29206
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