On Jan 23, the 11th annual Concert for the Cure will be held at Cowboys Dancehall at 8 p.m. The event is sponsored by Trinity sorority Gamma Chi Delta and co-sponsored by Trinity fraternities Kappa Kappa Delta and Phi Sigma Chi. The concert raises money for children with cancer to attend Camp Discovery.
Camp Discovery is in Kerrville, Texas, and offers activities such as swimming, horseback riding, canoeing and crafting for over 100 children ages 7-16 who either have cancer or are in remission. They are under care of pediatric oncologists and specially trained nurses while attending the camp. Camp Discovery is free of charge for attendees, and events such as Concert for the Cure raise funding so that it remains free and available for the increasing number of children that attend each year.
Concert for the Cure was created in 2005 by Amy Walton, who is a Trinity alum and was a member of Gamma Chi Delta during her time at the university. Walton founded the Concert for the Cure Foundation, and she attended the camp for 10 years after being diagnosed with leukemia. Walton returns every summer as a volunteer counselor as well. In 2005, Trinity’s annual Welcome Week Concert had been canceled, and Walton created what was known as Dance Marathon as a replacement for the concert as well as a method of raising money for an important cause. The event was originally in the Bell Center and its proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. It then moved to Mabee Dining Hall, but became large enough to be moved off campus in 2009 and was open to all of San Antonio. The event began being hosted at Cowboys Dancehall in 2010.
Gamma Chi Delta has continued the tradition every year as it remains an important cause for the sorority. This year, student Nicole Thomason is the event director for the Concert for the Cure, and hopes to get all of Trinity’s campus involved to raise as much money as possible for the many children that will be benefitted by this fundraising.
“We really want it to be a campus-wide event, and involve everyone at Trinity,” Thomason said.
Leading up to the concert, the women of Gamma Chi Delta along with members of both the Kappa Kappa Delta and Phi Sigma Chi fraternities have created several opportunities for fundraising. For Gamma president Laura Campbell, planning began in the summer to gather fundraisers and meet with the heads of the Concert for the Cure Foundation. Several members of Gamma Chi Delta attended the camp to experience their fundraising in action.
“I’d like to have members visit every year to actually see how we’re helping these children,” Campbell said.
The Greek organizations have had numerous fundraisers at places including Chipotle, Order Up, Bombay Bicycle Club and more. The fundraiser at Bombay Bicycle Club was especially helpful due to its immense popularity in the San Antonio community. Phillip Lopez, president of Kappa Kappa Delta, helped get his fraternity involved in fundraising, as they had participated in a prior year.
“We told alumni that we were joining the foundation again to remind them of their past in the fraternity,” Lopez said.
Keeping in contact with Kappa alumni helped garner philanthropy, and the fraternity was heavily involved in helping their fellow Greek organization in fundraising. He said that the co-sponsoring also “helped strengthen relations between Greek organizations.”
This year, the concert’s headliner is award-winning Texas country singer Roger Creager, who has performed for the concert twice before. The opening act, Trinity alum Aaron Einhouse, has also performed in the concert several times. Tickets will be sold all in Coates from 12-2 p.m., as well as T-shirts for the event. All Trinity students are welcome and encouraged to attend, as Concert for the Cure is an opportunity to show camaraderie between Trinity students as well a chance to support children in need.
