Fastballs and fast cars were all the rage at Gamma Phi Beta’s Spring Swing philanthropy event on Saturday. There was a large turnout despite the numerous other philanthropy events scheduled for that same day.
Saturday afternoon was a bit chilly, but that did not prevent some ladies of Gamma Phi from participating in the dunk tank. For a dollar, anyone could get the speed of their pitch read and try to dunk a girl. Ashleigh Hendricks, Gamma Phi’s public relations vice president, said, “It was a great turnout, and the events on the side helped bring out the crowd. The dunk tank was a big hit.”
Aside from the smaller events, the softball tournament was the main attraction. Delta Gamma won the women’s bracket and Sigma Chi won for the men’s. Both teams were awarded Spring Swing trophies when the winners were announced.
During the down time, Gamma Phi served up food and drinks to their crowd and encouraged people to guess the number of Cracker Jack boxes in the trunk of the Mercedes C230, which was standing in to represent the “Porsche for a Weekend.” Whoever was closest to the actual number of boxes in the trunk would win the Porsche. Chris Wynne, a member of Kappa Alpha Order, was the lucky winner. There were a total of 178 Cracker Jack boxes in the trunk and he guessed 177.
“People were digging through the trunk all afternoon trying to figure out how many boxes were in there,” Hendricks said. “It’s amazing how close he got.”
A supporter of Gamma Phi’s philanthropy, Will Cannon, said at the event, “This is the best thing to do on a Saturday like this. The company is fun and the food is really good too.” The crowd stayed until the men’s tournament between Sigma Chi and Kappa Alpha Order was over and made plans to attend the benefit concert that night.
Hollington Drive played a benefit concert at Jack’s Pub Saturday night for the members of Gamma Phi and all the Spring Swing participants. This concert was open to anyone, but those who did not participate in the tournament, or who were not members of Gamma Phi, had to buy a ticket for $5 to enjoy the show.
Gamma Phi raised $1,325 for their philanthropy Camp Fire USA. The sorority is applying for matching funds from the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation. Gamma Phi hopes the foundation will match the full amount so they can donate $2,650 to Camp Fire USA.
“Everyone who came and participated [in Spring Swing] really had a great time and we hope the event will have the same level of success next year,” Hendricks said.
