Pi Kappa Alpha put on a Casino night to raise money for the victims of the Las Vegas Shooting. Pi Kappa Alpha is a men’s fraternity located on the University of Wyoming campus that has sponsored many events to help raise money for various philanthropies.
In the spring of 2017, they ran Cycle for Life, which was an event at Half Acre Gym that raised money for the Taylor Trudeau Foundation. On Sunday, the Vegas Night, raised money for the National Compassion Fund; students and faculty all showed support of the event.
“Most people that came donated money, there were actually so many people that I actually had to run to the store to buy more cards,” Derrik Conrad, Pi Kappa Alpha’s philanthropy chairman, said.
For a suggested $5 donation, attendees had the opportunity to play Black Jack, three-and-two card poker, Texas Holdem and go fish. Since the Vegas casino night was a suggested donation, anyone who came could play the tables with chips provided at the entrance.
The ultimate goal of the night was to increase awareness for the Vegas tragedy and raising money for the foundation was just an extra motive for the chapter. When the night was over, attendees were able to cash in their lucky chips for raffles tickets, which gave them a chance to win prizes once the event was over. Many of the members of the chapter are very happy about how the event turned out and the success they had.
“I thought the event went very well for the amount of time we had to plan and execute it. I’m happy with the money we raised for a great cause,” Nathan Wood, a junior in PI Kappa Alpha, said.
Ethan Hawks the president of Interfraternity Council, who is also a member of Pi Kappa Alpha agrees that the event was a success.
“I love seeing my brothers of PIKE quickly coming together to support those who were caught in such a horrific event. This event shows not only PIKE’s dedication to our local community but also across the country,” Hawks said.
With the large attendance and how generous people were with their donations the chapter is confident with the amount of money raised for the National Compassion Fund.
“I do not have an exact number just yet…we went through a third party and we don’t have a complete number yet,” Conrad said.
The tragedy of the event that occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada affected a lot of people, and people are doing what they can to help the victims and the families of the victims.
