The Helping Hands Pregnancy Center received a large donation from an unexpected source: the Kappa chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. In the past three weeks, the brotherhood raised approximately $4,000 for the local nonprofit, which provides pro-life pregnancy counseling and a variety of other services to mothers and fathers in the Hillsdale area.
Chapter President Paul Eposito played a critical role in the decision to support a local organization rather than the fraternity’s national initiative, Junior Diabetes Research Foundation. The brotherhood began partnering with Helping Hands at the start of the spring semester. With the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were not able to do much, but they have hit the ground running this fall.
“We realized we could really, truly make a difference if we try to enact change here locally,” Esposito said.
The fraternity had a relatively detailed process of choosing an organization to support.
“I think our criteria is that we’d make it local to the area,” Esposito said. “It was a reputable organization that we could trust and it’s something that could actually go along with who we are as an organization. We’d really be able to take a stand for helping with pro-life efforts, which a lot of our members feel strongly about. We’d also be able to support a really positive view of fatherhood, which I think is essential to being a good man, which Delt stands for.”
In an effort to raise money for Helping Hands, Delta Tau Delta planned a single fundraiser event titled, “Date a Delt.” The fundraiser featured members of the fraternity and provided an opportunity for students to bid on them for dates. The men raised over $2,600 in one night.
Members on Delt’s philanthropy board said they were pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the event.
“I tried to go in with very minimal expectations,” board member Mason Mohon said. “It’s a really funny event, but you know, things are only funny when they’re like, at least a little bit edgy. We absolutely blew it out of the water.”
Nearly 75 students came out to support the men of Delta Tau Delta and their initiative during “Date a Delt.” Bidding averaged around $100-$200 per Delt auctioned with the highest bidder being senior Emma Alberts.
Emma Alberts decided to contribute after hearing the fraternity had chosen to support Helping Hands.
“I really appreciated the little details that they put into it, such as the bidding cards that had Delta Tau Delta written on them,” Alberts said. “They also had a little brochure, and being able to pull off a fun auction without it getting boring or weird is hard to do. I think they pulled it off and raised a lot of money for charity, which is really what matters.”
Delta Tau Delta expressed gratitude that the students of Hillsdale took time to not only support the fraternity, but also Helping Hands.
“I’m really thankful for the people that came out and supported us in the event,” Esposito said. “I mean, we had some pretty good planning and a decent idea, but the event was only a success because of the people. And it was ultimately their money that we have the blessing of shepherding to help them.”