By Matthew Jacob
Talk about Swinging Sisters! On Thursday April 21 at noon, the women in the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority participated in a 24 hour swing-a-thon to help raise awareness and funds for Rape Abuse Incest National Network, which is the largest American anti-sexual assault network. Thirty-eight members of the sorority contributed to keeping the swing going for 24 hours, taking turns to ensure the swing never stopped.
Each of the 38 members of AST rode the swing two at a time in shifts that lasted anywhere from one to two hours. The Idea was that when two members shift was over another two will hop on the swing, in mid swing to keep the marathon going.
“We made the swing a couple years ago and we each swing for about an hour,” said Lindsey White, a member of AST. “Throughout the hour we have guests switch in and out so it’s not that bad.”
“The idea for the swing-a-thon came from an alumnus of the sorority, Kelleigh Quist,” said Kristen Fratus the swing-a-thon chair and coordinator of the event. “Quist wanted to do an “a-thon” like the other sororities on campus have, in order to raise money for a good charity.”
The swing-a-thon is in its fifth year since being started by Quist and has made significant contributions to the RAINN organization, having raised $1,200 last year alone. Members of AST have also sold “RAINN” drops for a dollar, having whoever bought a drop sign their name to signify their contribution to the charity.
“A lot of the sisters are or know survivors, so it hits close to home to a lot of the girls,” said Samantha Pyles, a member of AST, “so we are raising money for people who are victims of sexual assault.” A cause like RAINN hits home to more than just the members of AST. Most people know someone who has been sexually assaulted and would never want to see that happen again.
“All of the money we raise is going directly to RAINN, because everyone deserves to feel safe and know that it is not their fault,” said Fratus.
To learn more or donate to the cause, visit: http://www.rainn.org/
