The 4th of May was a culmination of collaborative efforts as nearly every Greek chapter at the University of Wyoming came together to participate in a chili cook-off fundraiser for United Way. Individual chapters have historically focused on their unique philanthropies, but the idea to host a community-wide event came about during a leadership conference earlier in the year.
“The idea originated in educating our community about Fraternity and Sorority Life, and what better way than food?” said Mo Morrison, the Panhellenic Vice President of Education. Morrison was part of the student team that originally thought about the possibility of a chili cook-off fundraiser. She continued her involvement in the planning of the event along with many other volunteers.
Jones, the Panhellenic Vice President of Programming, dedicated herself to the success of the cook-off as the date approached. She worked closely with her Inter-fraternity Council counterpart, Jasper Welch, saying that the two of them “did the planning and logistics of the event, but we are not the only ones responsible for how (the event) turned out.” She expressed her appreciation for other members of the UW and Laramie communities as they contributed their time, attendance, and donations toward the cook-off.
The fundraiser, which was open to the public, featured each chapter’s cooking skills as they entered their own pot of chili into the competition. As the judges had a bowl of each and deliberated, other guests had the opportunity to vote for a Fan Favorite and learn more about each organization.
“Each chapter was tasked with creating a board about their chapter to educate the community on what they do along with bringing a pot of chili,” said Jones. “I was very ecstatic by the amount of chapters that helped make this a reality!”
The chili cook-off was considered a success, raising a total of $244 for United Way. Jones and Morrison hope to make this event an annual tradition for the Greek community.
“I hope this event only gets bigger every year it’s put on, because it is a great opportunity of learning and a fantastic opportunity for organizations to band together for a good cause,” said Morrison, “I hope more of the community can come and learn about our FSL and that the FSL community continues its great work for our local non-profits.”