Wayne State University Fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha Delta Nu hosted a walkathon to benefit the Prechter Program on May 16, 2021. The fraternity raised $9,000+ for bipolar research. The Prechter Program is very grateful for these funds that will help improve the lives of people living with bipolar.
Pi Kappa Alpha Delta Nu president Logan McDill answered some questions on behalf of his fraternity explaining why they chose our program as the recipient of their 2021 walkathon:
What made you decide to do a walkathon to benefit the Prechter Program?
As a fraternity, we are always looking for new organizations and charities to work with and help raise money for. After the rough year that COVID has put on people and our own brothers, we wanted to look for a way to help raise awareness about the importance of mental health. One of our brothers has family that has worked with the Prechter Program before, and after researching the organization, we knew that it would be a great idea to work with them.
Why raise money for bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is something that affects so many people, yet little attention is paid toward it. This opportunity gave us in the Delta Nu Chapter a chance to educate ourselves on a mental illness that disrupts not just the lives of people who have it, but the lives of those around that person as well.
About how many people attended the walkathon and how much money was raised?
Approximately 50 people were in attendance. Most of those were the brothers of our Pike chapter, but we invited friends, families, and local businesses to be a part of it. Even if people could not make it to the event, many were still able to show support by sponsoring and/or donating.
How did the event observe Covid-19 best practices?
When we decided to host an event to raise awareness for bipolar disorder, we thought about ideas that could have a lot of people in attendance while maintaining social distancing. This is where the idea to host a walkathon came from. We looked for a venue to accommodate as many people as possible under the state guidelines, and we were lucky enough to find a track and field that was ideal for our event. We had sanitizer at the event as well as masks in case people did not bring their own.
What do you think other people should know about your fraternity? Please give some stats, history, etc.
Pi Kappa Alpha is a social fraternity. The Delta Nu Chapter was founded at Wayne State University in 1950. Over the decades at Wayne State, we have raised over a million dollars in philanthropy, have amassed hundreds of thousands of community service hours, and have provided students with tools to succeed in school, work, and life. Since our establishment at Wayne State, our chapter has received numerous awards and recognition by our national headquarters, our campus, and our community. As of Spring 2021, we have 48 brothers.
Note: This was not hosted by Michigan Medicine or the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program.