Beta Theta Pi threw their annual philanthropy event, Date a Beta, to benefit the Gabby Krause Foundation on Friday, Feb. 15. Since their partnership with the Gabby Krause Foundation in 2008, Beta Theta Pi has raised over $80,000.
Date a Beta is Beta’s annual philanthropic event, through which brothers are packaged with dates for people to bid on. According to sophomore Adam Snow, Beta’s vice president of programming, last year, Date a Beta raised over $14,000 for the foundation with dates such as a night out at the hit musical Hamilton, a tour of the Denver Zoo and more. This year, dates up for auction included dog sledding, a showing of the musical Wicked and a date to Ariana Grande’s tour. The goal of this event was to raise financial support to and raise awareness of the Gabby Krause Foundation. However, Beta does not just raise money for the foundation; brothers have volunteered with the Gabby Krause Foundation to distribute the Bags of Fun.
The Gabby Krause Foundation was started in memory of six-year-old Gabby Krause, who passed away in September 2004 after battling brain cancer. Her dream was that every child in the hospital could receive a bag filled with toys and fun activities to pass the time while in the hospital. Her dream became the root mission of the Gabby Krause Foundation. Volunteers fill backpacks with fun toys and games to distribute to children staying at hospitals. Several Betas, including junior President Bryan Tanigawa, junior and Vice President of Brotherhood Ryan Baca, sophomore Ellis Stice, sophomore Evan Prechodko and sophomore Philanthropy Chair Luke Srsen, recently volunteered with the foundation to both fill and distribute Bags of Fun at the Children’s Hospital.
Co-founder and Executive Director Tammy Krause said, “What I’ve watched for seven years […] is this group of young men, from Luke [Srsen], to Arie [Feltman-Frank] to Matt […] to Zane and on and on and on, making a difference in your world and your community.” She continued saying, “Not only have I watched the Betas making an impact on the DU community and come back in an amazing way to be a presence here, but in the community around you. And the amount of money you raise and the amount of bags you’ve helped fill is truly unbelievable and unbelievable to the point that tonight, one of your brothers has his own personal story about how Bags of Fun impacted him and his family.”
Srsen, a sophomore at DU and current philanthropy chair, has a personal story about Bags of Fun. “Dane, my younger brother, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. Dane was given a bag during one of his treatments. I still remember the look on his face and pure excitement when he first opened his bag. I realized as a sibling, just how special organizations like the Gabby Krause Foundation are to the families that are directly affected by illness. Dane spent hours and hours by the Kindle Fire watching movies, as well as using every single toy included in the bag.
“For a kid that was in a hospital bed for 20 of the 24 hours of the day, this really changed the game. With my position as philanthropy chair, I have been able to work closely with the foundation and see what the ‘power of play’ can do for those diagnosed. As of today, Dane is three and a half years cancer free. I cannot stress to you enough how much this charity means to me and my family. Ultimately, this has been an opportunity for me to give back and make a difference with a charity that I know from my own experience changes lives.”
For those interested in donating to the Gabby Krouse foundation, details can be found on bagsoffun.org.
