Theta Chi Fraternity at Drake has kick-started their spring philanthropy event this year to fundraise money that will provide scholarships to children in Belize so that they can pay for the supplies needed to attend high school.
This year’s Belize Dance Marathon will operate as it did last year due to the pandemic with fundraising starting now and running until the end of the Drake Relays. Theta Chi will be selling shirts the week of relays and holding events such as an online silent auction to raise as much as possible with Covid-19 restrictions.
The Man with the Plan
Jim Albert, the founder of the James Arthur Albert Foundation and Drake law School professor, spoke at Theta Chi’s weekly chapter meeting in preparation for the busy philanthropy season. His speech provided the chapter with stories of children in Belize that would make sacrifices every day to obtain an education and that the money we raise will help them achieve that goal.
William Krane, Theta Chi President and third-year student at Drake, said that something good that came out of the pandemic was a new way to communicate with the kids that received scholarships through the foundation. Last year, instead of the usual Peggy’s tent celebration for members of the Theta Chi and donors that donated a certain amount, the men of Theta Chi were able to attend a Zoom graduation ceremony for the kids they were able to put through school and they hope to do the same thing again this year.
“One of the most impactful people I heard speak was Candelaria, she was one of the kids we put through and she was valedictorian of her high school,” Krane said.
The men of Theta Chi have been raising money for the James Arthur Albert Foundation as their spring philanthropy via the Belize Dance Marathon since 2010. Krane said that raising this money for these children in Belize is a way he can see his impact directly affect others.
Krane said that over half of the kids in Belize are unable to pay the $250 a year it takes for them to receive an education and without that education “There is not a lot of hope for them to get out of that situation.” To date, the James Arthur Albert Foundation has raised $479,075 to send the kids to school and another $255,228 to provide classrooms closer to children in remote parts of Belize.
Logan Hock, a member of Theta Chi’s philanthropy team and first year at Drake, said that his work on the philanthropy team is starting to ramp up as the event gets closer. He said that they have spent their time together brainstorming new ideas to raise more money than in previous years.
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