The Clarksville Fire Department will be able to partially fund a new fire station thanks to a $10,000 donation from the Eta Tau chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity raised during their philanthropy week.
From Thursday, Nov. 12 to Saturday, Nov. 14, Pi Kappa Alpha, or Pike held philanthropy events to contribute towards the fire department’s donation goal.
“Nothing has changed since we became a chapter in regards to philanthropy,” said Pike’s Special Events Chairman Representative Kyle Lashlee. “We do it to make a positive impact in our own community. That’s what we have done since we began and we will continue to do so.”
From Thursday, Nov. 12 to Friday, Nov. 13, Pike held their “Boots for Belles” event where the fire department’s “Belle of the Year” was decided. This year’s winner was Abby Kepley, representing Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Pike set up an obstacle course called “The Fireman Challenge.”
Under a time limit, participants had to pull a 150 pound fire hose, strap on fire gear, crawl through a simulated attic, pull a 165 pound dummy about 70 feet and use a sledgehammer to break through a simulated roof.
“It was really intense,” said Domonique Williams, junior human health and performance major, “especially after putting on the gear which weighed a lot on you. It was fun. It was endearing. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Sophomore political science major Tate Whitaker was surprised at how difficult the event was.
“It was pretty fun,” Whitaker said. “It was a lot more challenging than I thought, especially with the crawling through the attic part. That was really hard.”
The winner in the male division was Jordan Carter, and the winner of the female division was Kailey Meadows, representing Chi Omega sorority.
Pike raised approximately $3,000 through these events and the money will be added to the existing sum of $7,000 to be given to the fire department.
