Theta Chi hosted their annual Row-A-Thon from 12 p.m. on March 8 to 12 a.m. on March 10. The brothers rowed a canoe, in shifts, for 36 hours straight in the Reflecting Pond on campus. 
Brothers of the fraternity, potential new members and alumni were involved in helping raise money for the charity Breath California. Along with donating to this cause, they were driven by the fact that they are honoring their brother who passed away from asthma.
The brother that passed loved to row; therefore, the members of Theta Chi rowed for this 36 hour time period to remember him and pay tribute to the cause.
For many people who drive by, it does not look like the normal quiet atmosphere typical of the Reflecting Pond. Brothers switched off each hour to get in the canoe and spend time together, all while rowing along the pond’s perimeter.
On Tuesday, March 8, the brothers launched their event and even had a large support group who stayed for long hours during the cold night. 
Theta Chi member Luis Magana (senior, Kinesiology) rowed between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
“You have a lot of time to think to yourself or to get to know the brother across from you on a different level,” Magana said. “Every year I have done the late night shifts and I enjoy myself every time.”
Seth Hidalgo (junior, Chemistry) is the Philanthropy Chairman for Theta Chi and organized the event. Along with coordinating the event with the university, he also reached out to the mayor of Turlock to get ideas and contacts to help further the progression of this Philanthropic event.
“We wanted to get the community involved in what we were doing by making them aware and asking for their support,” Hidalgo said. “The Turlock firefighters even stopped by and hung out with us for a while which was awesome.” 
The fraternity also provided an inflatable jousting game for anyone who wanted to get some stress relief and battle one another. They also barbequed hot dogs for anyone who was out there to support the event.
Other students and Greek organizations supported the boys by sitting up through the night with them. The table outside of the pond piled up with food, snacks and donuts, giving the boys the energy they needed to stay up all night.
Braden Palma (sophomore, Criminal Justice) revealed how he stayed motivated to row through the early hours of the morning.
“It was my first time rowing so early in the morning, but when you start to get tired or cold you just have to remind yourself why you’re doing it and it keeps you going,” Palma said.
Theta Chi members all take the event seriously, both as an event to grow close to one another and reflect on their cause.
“It’s a tradition we’ve been doing for over ten years now,” Theta Chi President Logan Martinez said. ”It’s fun and outdoors, which is what we already enjoy doing, so it’s easy to get the brothers out here and active with the event.”
The boys gave effort outside of the Row-A-Thon, including traveling to local business to get as many donations as they could to help raise money for this special cause.
Their passion to raise money in honor of their lost brother and commitment to the future of clean air showed through the event.