Septembre Russell
Copy editor

Theta Chi Fraternity’s charity banquet, in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was held in Jonasson Hall on April 4.
Senior Tyler Tveit, recruitment chairman for Theta Chi Fraternity, presented the idea to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fraternity members, junior Devin Salinas, Theta Chi president, said.
Tveit’s interest in uniting the fraternity and the Make-A-Wish Foundation developed during his January Term class in which a panel of speakers affiliated with non-profit organizations visited, Tveit said. He said he discussed philanthropy possibilities with the marketing director from the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Oregon branch.
Tveit saw an opportunity for fundraising and pursued it: An opportunity, Tveit said, that may not have been offered otherwise.
“The goal is to raise $5,000, at which point we [will] donate the $5,000 directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and then MAWF will grant a wish in our name.” Salinas said. “We’re hoping that we’ll have multiple events over the next couple of months to help us get to that goal.”
The banquet, the first among a series of the proposed charity events, had a turnout of 70 attendees, Salinas said, and featured a raffle that comprised donations from various businesses, as well as a silent auction. Local businesses that donated to the charity raffle included Great Harvest Bread Company, Evergreen Aviation, Starbucks Coffee Co., Golden Valley Brewery and Twist Salon, among others.
Future charitable events that will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation will include a campuswide dance and an auction of dates with fraternity brothers, Salinas said.
The overall goal of Theta Chi Fraternity is to positively influence the community, Salinas said. The collaboration between Theta Chi and the Make-A-Wish Foundation is characterized by the fraternity’s aspiration to create a greater impact.
“We’re trying to reach outside of the local realm,” he said. “Most of our philanthropy events are concentrated on campus or the McMinnville community.”
Salinas said Theta Chi places a significant emphasis on social responsibility, despite the stigma surrounding fraternities. What remains to be recognized are the philanthropic efforts of other Greek organizations at Linfield.
“I think something that people don’t recognize is that we do a lot of positive in the community,” Salinas said. “The Greek community does more philanthropy than anybody realizes, and that’s definitely something that we’ve been trying to promote this year.”
Awareness of the Make-A-Wish Foundation increased as a result of the charity banquet, Salinas said. The foundation name is well-known, but its purpose required more definition.
Theta Chi intends to include the fundraising dance, banquet and auction annually with the aim of generating substantial receptiveness, Salinas said.
“I think it was definitely a positive experience,” he said. “We’re hoping that three or four years from now, it’s going to be something that people are expecting.”