Members of sororities, fraternities, dorm houses, and other campus organizations put their swimming skills to the test for a good cause on Saturday at the third annual Anchor Splash fundraising event hosted by the U of C chapter of the Delta Gamma sorority.
Delta Gamma, Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta, May House, the Peer Health Educator staff, and the U of C cheerleading squad all competed for distinctions.
About 80 spectators filled the pool viewing area at the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center to watch the competition, which serves as Delta Gamma’s major fundraising event for charitable programs benefiting blindness prevention.
This year’s proceeds benefited Service for Sight and the Chicago Lighthouse, two organizations that assist those with impaired vision and organize programs to spread awareness about vision-related problems, according to Amanda Aisen, a second-year in the College and vice president of the chapter’s Delta Gamma Foundation.
This year’s event raised about $2,000, topping last year’s fundraising total of $1,500.
“Since 1990, Delta Gamma collegians and alumnae have given 1,252,316 hours to Service for Sight,” Delta Gamma’s national social service program, Aisen said. “Service for Sight has given $2,065,808 to 50 organizations in the United States and Canada.”
Anchor Splash participants competed in a variety of swimming events, including a synchronized swimming competition, a silly swimsuit contest, and a medley relay, which combined three different swimming strokes into a single race.
After several close finishes, May House won as Coed Winner, Alpha Omicron Pi won as Women’s Winner, and the defending champions of Phi Delta Theta earned Men’s Winner, with each winning team receiving a $50 cash prize.
Those who attended the event did not leave empty handed either. The evening concluded with a raffle drawing with prizes such as Chicago Bulls tickets, a signed Chicago White Sox baseball, restaurant gift certificates, and tickets to the Shedd Aquarium, Second City comedy club, and the Jerry Springer Show. AirTran Airways, one of the event’s major sponsors, provided two $500 plane tickets as the raffle’s grand prize.