A chorus of guitars serenaded students involved in Greek Life during Pi Beta Phi’s “Pi Phi’s Phinest” fundraiser on Lakeside Patio on Nov. 15.
The charity event for ‘Read, Lead, Achieve’ was the first philanthropy week the sorority hosted since the chapter was founded last Spring.
“One in four people have troubles with literacy,” said Constance Airan, the former Pi Phi President. “We’re very passionate about going out within the Miami community and just raising for our philanthropy.”
In total, Pi Beta Phi raised $6,200 throughout the week. While they raised money by tabling around campus and getting donations through social media, the pageant was their biggest event of the week.
Brothers from Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Beta Theta Pi, Pi Kappa Phi, Alpha Sigma Phi and Tau Kappa Epsilon all participated in the pageant. Some of their performances included singing, dancing, trivia and skateboarding.
“Being able to interact with different fraternities for the first time was really fun to do,” Airan said. “All the sisters got really into it and I feel like it was a really fun event.”
During the pageant, the audience was able to vote through the app Venmo to donate and mention who they wanted to win. In the end, the winner was the delegate from Lambda Chi Alpha who wrote and performed an original rap song about the sorority.
While not everyone won, the brothers who participated in the pageant enjoyed performing while helping the philanthropy.
“Participating in Pi Phi’s Phinest was tons of fun,” said Trey Alhourn, the participant from Beta Theta Pi who is a sophomore majoring in sociology. “I got to meet brothers from different fraternities and help raise awareness for a good cause.”