Dartmouth Greek organizations are competing this month through the Philanthropic All American Rush (PAAR) to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD). The second annual event will donate 100 percent of the money raised by Greek houses to CHaD as part of the CHaD Hero Half Marathon in Hanover on October 21.
“I think this is a great opportunity for the Greek system and Dartmouth to show the world that we are a responsible school and service is taken very serious here,” says Matthew Lu ’13, founder of PAAR.
PAAR started in 2011 and last year’s competition raised $18,858.09. This year, Positive Tracks, a not-for-profit organization based in Hanover, will match money raised through PAAR. Lu says the goal is to have Greek members raise at least $42,500, which would combine with the matching donations for a total of $85,000.
“Helping Dartmouth students support CHaD, an important community resource in their own backyard, has always been one of my aspirations as founder of Positive Tracks,” says Nini Meyer. “With PAAR, Matt has built a platform that enables a multitude of Dartmouth students to think in an outward, ‘change your world’ kind of way.”
Greek organizations that raise the most money receive prizes, paid for with funds that Lu raised independent of the competition, which included securing a $2,500 grant from The Dartmouth Class of 1969. According to Lu, all Greek organizations on campus are participating in this year’s three-week competition.
Lu, a government major from Hong Kong, says the goal of PAAR is to make fundraising “fun, exciting, and rewarding.” He says this event is a great way to focus the competitive nature of Greek organizations, and he is working to expand PAAR to other colleges and universities. Sharon Brown, director of CHaD community relations, says funding for CHaD is essential because it is the region’s only children’s hospital.
“PAAR’s support of the CHaD Hero Half Marathon is phenomenal,” says Brown. “The group has come to the table with enthusiasm and passion for doing good for others, with hard work in mobilizing the Greeks, and with creativity in developing prizes as incentives to help reward students for being philanthropic.”
