Delta Zeta and Delta Tau Delta hosted a charity event Thursday on Sanford Mall, handing out hot cocoa and cookies to raise money for the Starkey Hearing Foundation, Breakthrough T1D and the American Society for Deaf Children.
The event offered a variety of cookies, including chocolate chip, peanut butter and snickerdoodle, to encourage students to donate to causes supporting those with hearing and sensory challenges and advancing research for Type 1 diabetes.
“We’ve already hit the $200 mark, and we’re about halfway through the event, so hopefully once classes start to wrap up and everyone heads back to their dorms, cars, and so on, they’ll stop by and help us raise that number even more,” said Nick Chafin, a freshman and member of Delta Tau Delta.
At the event, members of Delta Zeta and Delta Tau Delta displayed signs promoting their respective charities, educating fellow students and attendees about their missions and the impact they have on people worldwide.
“I think I just want people to understand our plan,” said Baylee Allen, a senior psychology major and member of Delta Zeta.
“Our philanthropies focus on hearing and speech, as well as Type 1 diabetes. These organizations provide care for children, teens and adults.”
Delta Zeta and Delta Tau Delta have held similar events in the past.
“We’ve done a lot of different events in the past. We do Dogs and Donuts, Dogs and Cookies, we’ve had dunk tanks — we’ve done many different events,” Allen said. “At our last event, we raised around $250, which was more than our original $200 goal.”
The Starkey Hearing Foundation was founded in 1984 by Bill and Tani Austin. The nonprofit organization has provided more than 1 million hearing aids worldwide since its creation.
Breakthrough T1D was founded in 1970 by Lee Ducat and Carol Lurie. The organization has invested more than $2.5 billion in research since its founding.
The American Society for Deaf Children was founded in 1967 by parents of deaf children. The organization generated an estimated $699,000 in 2023.
“We wanted to start a new tradition for the colder weather, and we thought cocoa and cookies would be a great idea. We also have iced coffee and hot coffee. It’s a good time, and everyone gets what they’re feeling,” said Ethan Ivey, a junior supply chain management and vice president of outreach for Delta Tau Delta. “I want everyone to have good vibes and enjoy themselves. We’re just trying to raise money for charity, and we would love to see people out here having a good time.”
Throughout the rest of the spring semester, Delta Zeta and Delta Tau Delta plan to hold more fundraising events to raise money for their charitable organizations.
