Medical technology senior and Alpha Omicron Pi member Sarah Earl performs Wednesday night at the MTV Fundraiser Night held at the Auditorium. The fundraiser is part of Greek Week and organizers hope to raise $250,000 for charity this year.
German senior Theo Moran participated in this year’s Greek Week dance competition fundraiser for several reasons. He is in the Sigma Chi fraternity, it is his last year at MSU and the money from ticket sales would go to the American Cancer Society — a charity that carries a personal meaning for him.
“I have several cancer victims in my family, so this is a big deal for me,” Moran said.
The MTV Fundraising Night, which was held Wednesday in the Auditorium, attracted hundreds of fraternity and sorority members and their friends and family to watch teams dance in the competition.
Greek Week is held annually by MSU fraternities and sororities to raise money for various charities. This year, the majority of the money will be donated to the American Cancer Society, said Di Western, director of the Greek Week Leadership Team and a criminal justice and premedical senior.
Lansing’s Refugee Development Center, Autism Speaks and Help For Haiti also will receive donations.
This year’s events began Monday and will continue through Sunday.
The group’s fundraising goal is $250,000 and Western said the group raised about $232,000 last year.
Western said more events were planned for this year than last, including the Greeks Hit the Streets event Monday night, where teams of students cleaned trash and debris from the local streets.
“Every team had 20 people in different parts of the city,” she said.
“We cleaned up three-fourths of the East Lansing area.”
This year’s theme is MSU Greek World Tour, said Sarah Bell, the vice president of the Panhellenic Council and a communicative sciences and disorders junior. Participating teams selected cities, such as Detroit and Las Vegas, or a cultural theme to tie into their T-shirts and events.
Some of the teams then met with diverse on-campus groups to discuss traditions and customs in the countries and cities they represent, Bell said. Greek Week participants spend months preparing their performances and promoting the events, which she said enhances the sense of community.
“It’s just fun to meet everyone and get more connected and raise money at the same time,” Bell said.
David Dreves, a member of Farmhouse fraternity and a crop and soil sciences sophomore, said he enjoys when the greek community unites to support each other, regardless of house affiliations.
“It just blew me away how much time and effort goes into it and how excited everyone gets for it,” Dreves said.
Before the dance competition Wednesday, teams also had a fundraising dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar, 360 Albert Ave., where a percentage of each bill was donated to Greek Week, Bell said.
She said donating to local charities makes the fundraising more personal.
“Getting a call of thankfulness makes it worth it to take a week from your time and do this for the community,” Bell said.
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