Special
Events - Alpha Phi Omega at Towson University Rock-a-thon
April 14, 2007
Rocking (Chairs) for a Cause!
By Debbie Castro, Volunteer Services Director
Do you think 6 hours is too long to sit in a rocking chair? Well, the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) co-ed service fraternity of Towson University in Baltimore, Md., wanted to challenge their fellow students into a rocking-chair-a-thon… for a good cause.
About a year ago, the fraternity’s President-Elect, Liz Juhasz, lost her battle with pulmonary hypertension. The group loved her dearly and decided they wanted to raise awareness and funds in her memory.
According to Andrea Sarsfield, one of the event’s organizer, “she always wanted to do a rock-a-thon and even though she wasn't here to see it, her wish still came true,”
So the group was inspired and organized the “Rock-Around-the-Clock for PH” event. The “rock” was not only from the activity, which challenged students to take turns sitting in rocking chairs over the course of the 6 hour event, but from the rock bands that performed throughout the night!
They set a fundraising goal of $20 a person and gave prizes for those who collected $35 or more in pledges. Teams and participants were contacted using Facebook, www.Facebook.com, an online networking community.
Patrice Woodard, a lead organizer and APO Service Chair, also used Facebook to help generate more publicity around the event. She created an event listing, posted pictures and details of the event, and invited her friends, who invited their networks. All told, 1,272 people were invited and over 200 people attended throughout the course of the evening.
What do you think people took away from the event?
I think that those who attended the event not only learned a lot about PH and those who suffer from it, but also about the things one person can accomplish. Liz went through a lot, but she never let it get the best of her. Her optimism and her giving spirit inspired many…
PH is a horrible disease, but there is still hope and even in the face of tragedy, there is good to be found. At the very least, I hope those that attended our event left with just a bit of Liz's caring spirit and felt good having helped out thousands of people living with PH.
~Andrea Sarsfield~ - APO member
What did you learn?
I did not personally know Liz, but hearing all of the wonderful stories about who she was and what she was passionate about made me feel like she was apart of my life too.
Before coming to Towson I new little about PH. This event has opened my eyes and made me more aware of the treatments available and the challenges of living with the disease. I am grateful to all of the people who helped us raise money for this event.
~Karyn Bedell~ APO member
Kimberly Bedell, an APO member who was very close with Liz commented, "You’d be proud of all the hard work Katie, Patrice, and APO has been doing to raise money for PHA. They’re putting their hearts into it because of how much they love you! Even though you are in heaven you are still inspiring great things!" |
The rock-a-thon took place on a rainy and cold Saturday night, but people still trickled in and out during the six hours. When I entered the cavernous Chesapeake Room of the Towson Student Union, I couldn’t imagine a better decorated space — adorning the walls were decorative guitar and musical notes, streamers and flashy metallic décor, and there was a big stage with a local band jamming out to a large group of people either sitting among the dozens of rocking chairs laid out in a semi-circle or standing around.
As Volunteer Services Director at PHA, I try to travel to local events and speak on behalf of the organization. As a sister of a PH patient, I find the opportunity to speak rewarding. They allowed me time to talk about the work of the organization and to share my story of how PH affected my life. This event was particularly touching as I was able to tell them that their work for Liz would make a huge difference in the lives of families and friends of other patients who still fight for their loved ones.
Their service fraternity has adopted pulmonary hypertension as their philanthropy project and organized an awareness week on campus. We are glad to work with them to raise awareness online and on their campus!
