Cold hard cash
Freeze-a-thon raises money for non-profit organization
Sitting outside for hours in the middle of the winter may not be an activity most people would choose to do.
But that is just what the members of Alpha Tao Omega and Kappa Delta will be doing for 120 hours straight.
Both Greek life organizations are huddling together in the cold to raise money for the children at Nokomis Childcare Center.
The Freeze-a-thon, as it’s commonly called, raised about $4,500 each year with all proceeds going to Nokomis.
“Last year we were extremely successful,” Frannie Nelson, president of Kappa Delta, said. “We hope to stay that successful and raise even more this year.”
Brent Dusek, special events chair for Alpha Tao Omega, said participants will be sitting out in the cold in attempt to raise as much money as possible.
“It’s fun to see that it’s actually helping somebody,” Nelson said. “We usually go over to Nokomis after we’re done, present the check and play with the kids for a little bit.”
Volunteers will be sitting outside in front of the Loaf ‘N Jug for a total of 120 hours, 36 hours in front of the Memorial Union.
“Staying warm isn’t always easy out there because sometimes the temperatures drop well below zero,” Dusek said. “But some strategies that we take are obviously bundling up with as many layers as possible, drinking lots of hot chocolate or coffee and having many blankets to cover up with.”
Dusek said the Freeze-a-thon will take place in two separate locations.
The campus location will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 through 8 in front of the south entrance of the Memorial Union.
The off-campus location is in front of the Loaf N Jug off University and will go around the clock Feb. 5 through 8.
“The last day of Freeze-a-thon last year was one of the coldest days of 2006 and although the cold was unbearable, we raised the most money by far on that day,” Dusek said. “So we can only pray that we get cold weather for the sake of raising as much money as possible.”
Volunteers might get their wish with the forecast predicting temperatures to reach a high of 15 below zero on Sunday.
“It’s a fun way to get to know each other,” Nelson said. “We bring a bunch of blankets out there and get bundled up together.”
Dusek said that 42 Alpha Tao Omega members and 48 Kappa Delta members will be each taking two to three hour shifts to help raise money for Nokomis.