Miami Fraternities Raise $500K+ to Save Lives, Fight Cancer

When Alpha Epsilon Pi members swab students' cheeks for bone marrow donation, they're doing more than fundraising. They're saving lives.

University of Miami fraternities and sororities raised over half a million dollars last year for causes including cancer research, children's hospitals, and animal rescue. Their "Philo Weeks" turn campus into a giving machine, with students spending months planning events that connect thousands of people to charitable organizations.

Alpha Epsilon Pi has raised $140,000 over two years for Gift of Life, a bone marrow registry connecting blood cancer patients with donors. The results speak louder than any donation total: 140 matches and at least 12 transplants that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

"We've saved lives," said Ari Kalish, the fraternity's president. Some members are currently receiving support from Gift of Life for their own health battles, making the cause deeply personal.

Sigma Chi turned up the energy even higher, growing donations from $67,000 in 2023 to over $150,000 this year for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Their Call-a-thon event alone raised $60,000 in just two hours.

Alpha Delta Pi brought in $30,000 at their annual Red Dress Gala for Ronald McDonald House, which provides housing for families with hospitalized children. That's $4,000 more than last year, with 93% going directly to families in need.

Delta Phi Epsilon raised nearly $12,000 for eating disorder awareness and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Their vigils create safe spaces where students share personal struggles and find community support.

Even Beta Theta Pi's partnership with Big Dog Ranch Rescue has raised close to $100,000 over several years, funding care for hundreds of dogs at the Florida no-kill shelter.

The Ripple Effect

These efforts are reshaping how students view Greek life from the inside out. Ava Albright, Delta Phi Epsilon's vice president of programming, joined expecting parties but found purpose instead.

"It wasn't until philanthropy day that I was like, 'Oh, this really means something,'" Albright said. That realization now drives her work organizing events that help people struggling with eating disorders.

The white rose ceremony hosted by Sigma Chi embodies this transformation. Students gather to honor loved ones affected by cancer, each person speaking a name aloud while holding a rose.

"It's bigger than yourself," said Filip Stojkoski, Sigma Chi's philanthropy chair. That shift from social club to service organization is happening across Greek Row, one event and one life at a time.

These students are proving that purpose and community can coexist beautifully.