The Alpha Tau chapter of Beta Theta Pi has been a great supporter of the community. Many of the members are involved with Beta Buddies—a mentoring program started in 2001 for students at Hartley Elementary. Each week a member will spend at least one hour with his Beta Buddy, and once a semester the house hosts a party for their Beta Buddies. The Buddies enjoy snacks, play games, and just hang out at the parties. This program is something the students and members of Beta enjoy equally.
Faith & Ervin at Burrito Bash
Our fall philanthropy, Beta Burrito Bash, is our chapter’s main fundraiser. The house entertains hundreds of UNL students and friends for the event. Tickets cost just $3 for unlimited burritos, tacos, drinks, and snacks. Last year’s Burrito Bash was a huge success, raising over $2,000 for the community. The Burrito Bash is a very exciting night for the entire chapter. All members help prepare the house, sell tickets, and make hundreds of pounds of meat!
Every semester each Beta performs an average of 20 hours of community service. This year many events were popular with the chapter. They included cleaning up an area lake, volunteering at the soup kitchen, and helping sort clothing for the Lincoln Goodwill stores.
Beta is also excited about other opportunities to help the community. Since 2004, the chapter has participated in the Nebraska Adopt-A-Highway program. Once a semester, the chapter goes to clean two miles of Interstate 80 west of Lincoln. This activity serves as a good bonding experience while keeping the area clean.
ΓΦΒ Championship Team
Beta held the first annual Queens of the Court basketball philanthropy in the Fall of 2006 for the benefit of the Lincoln Fire Department. This 5-on-5 girls basketball tournament is a joint effort between Beta and Farmhouse, and both houses look forward to expanding the event in the following years. The winner of the inaugural tournament was the team from Gamma Phi Beta.
Active members participate in campus-wide philanthropic events, as well. Betas have been morale captains, family relations team members, as well as dancers for Dance Marathon, an event that raises funds for the Children’s Hospital in Omaha. A team from the chapter raised the most of any group for Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Members have also acted as project chairmen and staff advisors for the Nebraska Human Resources Institute, a mentoring organization that seeks to recognize and bring out leadership potential in elementary, junior high, and high school kids. Beta’s commitment to philanthropy has had a strong impact on the UNL campus.