Butch McCartney

Students and faculty members who dropped money into a box on the campus mall last Thursday and Friday did more than simply make a donation – they saved a life.

As each person made a donation, sophomore Tom Klug made sure to thank them. “You helped save a baby today,” he said to each contributor to the March of Dimes.

Every year Delta Sigma Phi does fund-raising for the March of Dimes. This year it decided to try something new – a Frisbee toss.

“Our goal this year is to raise over $2,000 for the March of Dimes,” said sophomore Brian Gausman, president of Delta Sigma Phi. “In an effort to do that, we organized a 24-hour Frisbee toss to try and collect donations.”

March of Dimes is a national organization that collects money for research on babies with fetal problems, Gausman said. Last year, Delta Sigma Phi was the second largest donor in the area to the March of Dimes, he said.

The March of Dimes also organized Walk America on Saturday morning, in which Delta Sigma Phi’s chapter of 24 members participated, Gausman said.

Each member was required to collect $50 in donations. They sent letters to area businesses, asked for donations from parents and went door-to-door, he said.

While Klug didn’t know how much money they raised from tossing the Frisbee, he said they didn’t expect to raise what they did in the donation box, which was one-fourth filled.

“I’m surprised by the reaction of throwing the frisbee,” Klug said. “A lot of people have been coming up and throwing change in the box – including professors, adults walking across campus and students.”

Despite the event going through the night, Klug concluded it was a success.

“It’s been awesome. Except during the night when it was freezing cold out,” Klug. “We’ve had fun.”

Gausman also said everyone was having a great time.

“We’re just trying it out this year,” he said. “If things go well it will become a yearly event.”