This past weekend, the Gamma Nu chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon participated in Ohio State's 2020 Buckeyethon event. Buckeyethon is OSU's largest run philanthropy committed to raise funds and awareness for the Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Although normally hosted in person, this year's Buckeyethon was fully virtual to ensure safety among students and all participants. Throughout the day, a virtual dance marathon took place, and all participants in Buckeyethon worked tirelessly to raise money for the kids. The Gamma Nu Buckeyethon team raised money for the even through social media posts, personal donations, and restaurant events with Chipotle. Gamma Nu's team consisted of 40 participants and worked to raise a total of $2,642! Even while held virtually and during a pandemic, these participants worked hard to contribute to the total $2 million total raised by all OSU Buckeyethon participants.
The team was lead by Buckeyethon Captain, Meg Hopkins, a senior and highly involved member of Pi Sigma Epsilon. Meg comments,
Buckeyethon has been one of the most incredible experiences I have had at Ohio State. This was my fourth year participating and I wanted to be our captain because I wanted to share my passion and excitement for this cause with my brothers! I was also inspired by Lauren Clemons who was the captain my first year in PSE -- I remember it got to be 6am and I was crumbling on the inside, but LC was there to motivate and support all of us. I wanted to be that for our team, even if it was virtual.
Virtual components can be a challenge for any event or organization, but the Buckeyethon team had a great time nonetheless. Meg added that nothing beats the Dance Marathon in the Ohio Union, the Buckeyethon general body (consisting of our very own, Julia Ostrowski), did a phenomenal job with the transition to a virtual event. Even online, it was engaging, exciting, and just as meaningful as the in person Buckeyethon Dance Marathons.
Meg's passion and determination for Buckeyethon and serving others was a big component in the success of our Gamma Nu team. It was thanks to her that our team was able to continue in raising money for our Buckeyethon team during the pandemic such as through restaurant fundraisers at Chipotle that many of our members participated in. When asked about her favorite part of Buckeyethon, Meg commented,
My favorite part was probably just the absolute resilience and adaptability of everyone involved in Buckeyethon this year - including our team! It was super inspiring to witness how such a large group of people on campus were able to come together and still show up for the kids given the current situation. I was also so proud that a lot of first timers joined our team and just sort of followed me blindly into this experience lol. I am so proud of everyone.
As a senior, Meg's time in PSE is limited and we're grateful for all that she's given to our chapter. Following graduation, Meg plans to move to Washington D.C. to work in the public or nonprofit sector, working on the policy/programmatic issues she's passionate about to make a tangible impact within D.C. Just as she has helped our chapter, she will helping so many others while moving forward with her future aspirations. While graduated and in D.C., Meg has commented that she will be donating as much as she can of her disposable income to next year's PSE Buckeyethon team.
Not only would we like to thank Meg for all she has contributed to this year's PSE Buckeyethon team, but to every single participants who helped raised the $2,642 put forward by Gamma Nu. With one of the biggest teams Gamma Nu has seen, we are so proud of everyone who participated in this event to raise money #ForTheKids.