Tau Kappa Epsilon is hosting their annual event, “Jump for Jude,” in the quad from March 23 to March 24.
During the event, brothers of the fraternity jump on a trampoline for 32 hours straight while asking for donations from students. All proceeds go to the organization’s philanthropy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The founder of St. Jude, Danny Thomas, was a member of TKE, making the the hospital the perfect philanthropic choice for the fraternity.
“For 32 hours we support the work of individuals of the hospital and the children who are sick from cancer or other life-threatening conditions,” TKE President Eddy Luna (senior, Biology) said.
The brothers jump continuously in shifts that are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Brothers who live off campus typically jump during the day, while those who live on campus try to take the late-night shifts.
“I’m coming here and jumping from 3 a.m. until 9:30 a.m,” TKE member Ricardo Rojas (sophomore, Kinesiology) said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes for the fraternity and for the philanthropy.”
A booth set up in front of the trampoline has a paper for members to sign up for shifts. Fraternity members crowd around, both supporting their brothers while they jump and asking students who pass by if they would like to donate to St. Jude.
Though the jumping may get tiring, Brian Perez (freshman, Criminal Justice) is motivated by the thought of helping those who may be suffering from cancer after having recently lost a loved one to the terrible disease.
“My grandmother died yesterday of cancer, so I thought doing this and helping with this event for St. Jude would be good,” Perez said. “The timing was perfect, so I joined to give my time for the cause. It felt right to do this.”
If you would like to help TKE support St. Jude, head out to the quad and donate. TKE members will be jumping until 4 p.m. on March 24.