UNLV Greek System Manages Worst Philanthropy Effort Ever

Rex Reagan12 years ago

It’s hard to rip on fraternity and sorority philanthropies. If it’s supporting pretty much anything besides neo-nazis or the KKK, it’s an easy, fun way to help a good cause. Even something that takes as much planning as a rock-paper-scissors tournament is hard to mock too much, especially when it will probably raise more money than most other student organizations on campus.

The 2013 University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ Greek Week philanthropy changed all of that.

From the first lines of the story in the UNLV Rebel Yell:

This year’s Greek Week tournament yielded big donations for local charities. Fraternities and sororities paired up to compete in Quidditch matches, theater productions and eating contests all while serving the community.

That’s the lead? You started out with Quidditch? Did you compete against Hogwarts, or did you just run around with brooms between your legs throwing a yellow ball back and forth?

And how do you define “big” donations?

Over $900 was raised and donated to Because I Said So, an organization that is designed to make “doing good” easier for those who are looking to benefit others. The donation from Greek Week is being used to help 20 kids from the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada go to Disneyland.

Again, any and all money makes a difference, but $900? For a whole week? For an entire Greek system?! According to the UNLV website, there are 1,401 Greeks spread out over 35 houses. Now this math equation may be off, but if somebody got about two-thirds of the Greek system to donate just a dollar, they would have raised more money than Greek Week did.

So, where does this bounty of $900 go? To an organization called “Because I Said So,” which may or may not exist. After scrolling to the end of a Google search, past 1,000 articles about some God-awful movie with the same title, there is a page for becauseisaidso.com, a blog kept by a Chicago-area mother who supports St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Multiple similar searches turned up nothing that in any way resembled a Nevada charity group, or any charity group period.

The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada does exist. Now called the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, the group does actually provide for services for children with terminal diseases and their families. Again, it’s nice that the UNLV Greek system contributed $900 for some of the children to go to Disneyland, but the money wouldn’t be enough for three children to have a round trip from Las Vegas to Anaheim, California.

At least the college students had fun. Greeks spent the past week competing in awesome events like a “Pirate Treasure Hunt,” “Jedi fights” and a “Twilight Bungee Run,” but Quidditch was clearly still the big winner here.

Good job, good effort, UNLV.

[via The Rebel Yell]

Image via UNLV.edu