Five dollars is not a bad deal for all-you-can-eat spaghetti, especially when the proceeds go directly to benefit sick children. This was the idea behind Chi Omega’s Second Annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Friday night. The event was held at their sorority house.
Laura Powers, the community service chair for Chi Omega, played an important role in putting the event together.
“It was a really successful event this year — we were really happy with the turnout,” Powers said. “There were a little fewer than 300 people that came and we raised about $1500.”
The money raised will be gifted to a Wish for a Wyoming child, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish has been enriching the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work since 1980.
“Make-A-Wish makes a huge difference in children’s lives,” said Joanne, a Primary Children’s Medical Center Social Worker, according to wish.org. “When there isn’t a cure, there is still something positive in their lives to look forward to.”
This may be Chi Omega’s second Spaghetti Dinner, but the sorority has fundraised for Make-A-Wish in the past, and they will continue to be the prime recipients of Chi Omega’s charity efforts.
“We love being able to directly support the wish-granting of Wyoming children,” Powers said. “We love hearing the stories of kids whose wishes were able to be granted because of our chapter.”
The dinner has been successful for its short tenure and Powers does not think this year will be its last.
“We have really found the spaghetti dinner to be fun, easy and effective in raising money, so it will probably continue to be our annual event,” she said.
Make-A-Wish has given the sorority members a sense of what their contributions have meant to the children who have received a wish.
“Make-A-Wish will send us a letter detailing where our money has gone,” Powers said. “Last year, the money raised from spaghetti dinner went to a little boy whose wish was to be a zookeeper for a day. This fall, the money raised from our philanthropy went to a help a little girl whose wish was for a place to have tea parties. Make-A-Wish built her a fully furnished playhouse to have tea parties in.”
Photos: Maddison Haak
