Alpha Tau Omega member Gerald “Spike” Hennessy saved Hillsdale College in the 1950s by paying its expenses, according to an upcoming student documentary. 

Thanks to his efforts, the college was able to survive without turning to government assistance. 

Today, the fraternity he was part of continues philanthropic efforts. 

Senior Christopher Chavey, ATO’s current philanthropy chair, coordinates volunteer opportunities and organizes fundraising events. According to Chavey, ATO partners with Crossroads Farm, a cooperative rural youth ministry in Reading. ATO regularly sends men to work at the farm. 

“Last semester, we painted a fence, we mulched, we do whatever needs to be done,” Chavey said. “All of our philanthropy profits go towards them.”

Chavey said his mission is to reach as many people as possible.

“Community involvement is a big thing for us,” Chavey said.

According to Chavey, many ATO brothers volunteer through A Few Good Men, helping elderly, disabled, and low-income households with lawn care, repair work, and other projects. 

Junior Augustine Matheson started leading a volunteer crew with Chavey this year. 

“We have anywhere from three to five people join us each week,” Matheson said. “We’ve gone out every Monday and done a bunch of yard work. It’s been great so far.”

Senior Samuel Aylor said the role models he saw among the older ATOs drew him to the fraternity, more so than the stereotypical Greek culture. 

“My entire rush cycle, I didn’t drink,” Aylor said. “I didn’t do it for the dudes or the parties. It was specifically for those individual relationships and the standards I saw them hold themselves to.”

Aylor, who served as ATO’s philanthropy chair last year, said he tried to emphasize the value of volunteerism as part of a well-rounded Christian life. 

“It’s great to go to church,” Aylor said. “Cool, that’s great to see you at Mass, but let’s utilize another virtue of giving time, of service.”

That doesn’t mean it’s always convenient, Aylor said. 

“Philanthropy is not required, but you get forced to do it,” Aylor said. “Scheduling with Crossroads to come help them always comes at the worst times. It’ll be like the night after a formal.” 

Work at Crossroads starts at 8 a.m., no matter what.

“You’ll get maybe 20 guys to go through the house,” Aylor said. “Those 20 guys are gonna go find everyone else who didn’t get up and wake them up.”

According to Aylor, hangovers don’t count as an excuse. 

“Are you hungover? Can you think straight?” Aylor said. “Well go move this piece of wood. But that’s where the brotherhood comes in.”

Now that quad construction has compromised a previous signature event, statue golf, Aylor said ATO is looking for a new central fundraising event. 

“The variety of events we’ve seen has ranged from knife sharpening to statue golf,” Aylor said. “None of them really make sense.”

Last semester, under Chavey’s leadership, the fraternity debuted Casino Night as a potential recurring signature event. ATO held the event, open to all of campus, at Hillsdale’s Elks Lodge. 

“They actually have the craps table, roulette, all that stuff,” Matheson said. “So we basically just set up their room and made everything look nice.”

According to Chavey, attendees paid a $10 entry fee for a set amount of chips. The three people with the most chips at the end of the night won gift cards. 

“We hired a jazz band,” Chavey said. “They were phenomenal. We had three blackjack tables, a craps table, and then four poker tables.”

The event that raises the most money is ATO’s annual phone-a-thon. 

“We all gather around in the ATO house,” Matheson said. 

The brothers use their own phones to call 10 people — older ATOs, parents, and friends — for donations. 

“It teaches you good phone skills,” Matheson said. “Not just calling kind of random people, but asking for money.”

Next semester, Chavey said ATO plans on a second annual casino event. 

“Spring will be Casino Night again,” Chavey said. “But a different version. There will be different touches.”