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Philanthropy is one of the primary focuses of our Tri Delta chapter. Tri Delta's
national chosen philanthropy is children's cancer charities. In conjunction with this
effort, Tri Delta enjoys a partnership of the heart with St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital. St. Jude Children's Cancer Research Hospital, founded by Danny Thomas, is
located in Memphis, Tennessee and is the first institution established for the sole
purpose of conducting basic and clinical research into catastrophic childhood diseases,
mainly cancer.
 Together Tri Delta's members are making a difference. Since 1974, Tri Deltas have raised more than $14 million in support of children's cancer hospitals, research facilities, and cancer camps. In May 2005, Tri Delta fulfilled a one million dollar endowment for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At the beginning of 2007, Tri Delta pledged nationally to raise $10 million to build a new patient care floor in the St. Jude Hospital, which will be forever named after Delta Delta Delta. Our chapter at SMU pledged to raise $250,000 to sponsor a patient care room on that floor, to be named after our Theta Kappa chapter.
At SMU, we sponsor at least two major philanthropy events each year. All of the proceeds go directly to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In the fall, we host Delta Diner, a pancake breakfast held on a Friday night. Students
come by to eat the delicious breakfast food, socialize, listen to music, and write
letters to the St. Jude patients. In the past, the event has been outside, in front of
Moody Coliseum. It is a great time for everyone who attends!
In the spring, our chapter participates in the letter writing campaign, Sincerely
Yours. This letter writing campaign, in which we send letters to our friends and family
asking them to donate to St. Jude, has been highly successful. In 2006 our SMU Tri Delta
chapter raised more than $23,000 for St. Jude! In the Spring of 2007, we held a golf
tournament, called “Chip in With Tri Delta.” Our dads and friends joined us for a fun
9-hole scramble that raised almost $4,000 for St. Jude.
 Besides hosting our own events, Tri delta also participates in many of the other philanthropies on campus planned by the University and other chapters in the Greek community. For example, we participate in the SMU campus event, Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate cancer survivorship and raise money for American Cancer Society research programs. During the event, teams of Greek chapters, students, and families gather at the boulevard and take turns walking around the boulevard all night.
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