Tomorrow night, Sigma Pi will host its second annual Jazz Night. The event, open to students, faculty and administration, will feature Cornell jazz musicians and the group Jazz Sandwich. The charity event will benefit the Children’s Brittle Bone Foundation.
“We’re really excited to support the Children’s Brittle Bone Foundation . . . and to bridge the gap between faculty and fraternities and sororities by offering a kind of common ground for people to spend time together and support a good cause,” said Sean Burke ’05, co-philanthropy chair.
The semi-formal event will be hosted at the fraternity house and begin at 6 p.m. for those with tickets. Tickets can be purchased from any member of Sigma Pi. The event will open with a cocktails and hors d’ouevres. Dinner will be served next and guests will be entertained by Cornell jazz musicians.
Following dinner, Jazz Sandwich — a professional group from New York City which performed last year — will give a concert which will be open not only to ticket holders, but anyone for $2.
“Our aspirations are to raise as much money as possible . . . [and] to have a quality event that students and faculty can enjoy. Last year we accomplished that and we’re trying to raise the stakes a little [with new events like a raffle],” said Michael Glicken ’05, co-philanthropy chair. The fraternity also hopes to attract more faculty and members of the community.
“We’ve set personal goals for our chapter [to complete] 500 hours of community service per semester and to [donate] $10,000 to different organizations throughout the entire year. I’d like to raise $3,000 from this event,” said Adam Brown ’03, Sigma Pi president.
The fraternity has also received support from other groups and companies at Cornell and around Ithaca for tomorrow night’s event. The a capella group Cayuga’s Waiters, Wegmans and Kinko’s have all supported the night by making contributions and donations as well as assisting with the raffle and food.
In response to Sept. 11, Sigma Pi began the philanthropic event last year to help raise money for the Ithaca Fire Department and the Red Cross. The fraternity “choose[s] charities that are close to home,” Glicken said.
This year’s charity, the Children’s Brittle Bone Foundation was founded by Glicken’s family 10 years ago when his sister was born with the osteogenesis imperfecta. The disease leaves its victims with weak bones and a poor bone structure.
“The easiest way to get people to participate in philanthropy is when they know it’s close to home . . . it means a lot more to us,” said Paul El-Meouchy ’04.
The Greek system’s philanthropic events have been increasing in the past few years. “We firmly believe service is a responsibility of the Greek community and we’ve set new goals for ourselves,” Brown said.
“It’s a great way of having a good time as well as giving back to the community,” El-Meouchy said.
In addition to Jazz Night in the fall, Sigma Pi has a murder mystery event held jointly with Pi Beta Phi in the spring. That event will benefit the Center for Crime Victims and Sexual Assault.
With a regular list of events, “we know exactly what to look forward to every semester,” El-Meouchy said.
Archived article by Diana Lo