Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) held Dancing with the Tekes, its annual philanthropy event, last Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 10 pm in Pollak Theater. The event, which featured dance numbers by both Greek and non-Greek students, raised a total of $2,794 towards TKE’s national philanthropy, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospita
“Dancing with the Tekes brought in an astounding $2,537 from ticket sales and an extra $257 from donations,” Jesse Chapnick, a senior business management student and brother of TKE, explained. The extra donations were collected for the family of a fallen TKE brother at Rowan University. “It is nice to see the Greek Community put aside their differences and come together as one to benefit a cause,” he continued.
Dancing with the Tekes began with some information about the fraternity’s philanthropy by the hosts, a member of TKE and a member of Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA). They informed the audience that St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital opened in 1962 and since then has increased the overall survival rate of children’s cancer from 20 percent to 80 percent. According to the St. Jude’s website, St. Jude’s is working to push this number to 90 percent within the next ten years.
After the brief introduction, five judges from different organizations on campus were brought on stage and the event began. The night consisted of a total of ten performances ranging from group dances to solos, and a guitar and vocal performance by Matt Avellino, a 2013 Monmouth graduate and TKE alumnus.
At the end of the night the top three acts were named. First place went to a group dance by Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhiE), second place went to ZTA, with a special appearance by TKE’s new members, and third place was awarded to Sigma Tau Gamma (STG). These performances were awarded prizes from sponsors such as Surf Taco, Gold’s Gym, TGI Fridays, Chipotle, and Beach Bum Tanning, amongst others.
Christa Hogan, TKE’s advisor on campus, expressed how happy she was about this year’s Dancing with the Tekes. “I am very proud of the TKE brothers and their commitment to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital,” Hogan said. “I thought that it was a very positive and uplifting night, and a large sum of money was raised for TKE’s philanthropy.”
Hogan also mentioned how pleased she was by the overall unity within the Greek community, as well as the support that was shown to the non-Greek performers.
TKE as a whole was responsible for the organization of this event, however, brothers Dario Korpita, a junior criminal justice major, and Ron Surnam, a junior business administration major, took charge in a lot of the preparation. Both were thrilled with the night and its turnout.
“Over the past years, Dancing with the Tekes always raised money for St Jude’s, however, this year we had double the amount of performers and money compared to last year,” Korpita said. “It is the greatest feeling in the world to know that our fraternity is giving back to the community, and especially to those in need. Just knowing that we are changing the lives of children touches all of us.”
Korpita was not the only one who felt this year’s event was extremely successful. Chapnick stated that he felt this year’s Dancing with the Tekes was the most successful one he has been a part of since joining the fraternity in spring of 2011.
Nicole Napholz, a junior communication major, was especially touched by the donations for the fallen brother. “I really liked how TKE set up a table on the way out to collect donations for a brother’s family from another school,” she said.
Napholz also enjoyed the fraternity’s use of Twitter throughout the event. All night, audience members were encouraged to get more involved in the competition by using the hashtag “#DWTKE” in their tweets. The best tweets were then read aloud by the hosts.
Between the amount of money raised, the number of performances, and how smoothly the event ran in general, there is no doubting that this year’s Dancing with the Tekes was a huge accomplishment for the fraternity.
“We are so happy about the turnout of this event and we want to thank everyone for their support,” said Korpita. “The event had so many performers, both group and solo dancers. Going up on stage in front of hundreds of people is so nerve-racking! I give them all so much credit.”
