Brothers, athletes and friends from other groups on campus gathered together throughout the week to celebrate Brothers’ fifteenth anniversary through events that raised money for victims of domestic violence in Madison County. Not only did the events during Charity Week raise money for local causes, but they also fostered solidarity among members of the campus community.

“Brothers Charity Week is a week full of events that brings the campus closer together and raises money for local charities,” Brothers President junior Hashim Rainey said.

Among these events were an ongoing bake sale, a barbeque, a casino night, an auction and a three-on-three basketball tournament on Saturday that ended a week full of exciting and activities.

The week started out on Monday with Brothers casino night at the Edge, a collaborative effort with Games Afoot. Anyone interested in participating paid to play games like Texas Hold ‘Em, Uno, Blackjack, “BS” and “Spades.” The event saw a great turnout, full of fun and cash for charity.

In addition to selling cookies and brownies throughout the week, Brothers also organized a barbecue on Tuesday. Several students gathered on the chapel steps to enjoy delicious food, despite the rain that caused Brothers to close the barbecue early and continue it two days later during their “Lounge” event at the Class of 1934 House.

The annual auction took place on Wednesday night. Members of Brothers described a service they would provide to the highest bidder, like going on a date, seeing a movie, cooking dinner or even throwing a bananas foster party, as in the case of senior Rodney Agnant, whose service sold for three hundred twenty dollars.

On Thursday, Brothers partnered with Open Society to organize “The Lounge,” an event that allowed students to showcase a number of different talents to the Colgate community. 

Finally, on Saturday, the week ended in a three-on-three basketball tournament in Huntington Gymnasium, where teams paid a suggested five-dollar donation to enter. Eleven teams competed for trophies and prizes in a bracket format, with the undefeated, winning team of junior Anthony DeRiggs, senior Chad Johnson and junior Victoria Fontana.

“Profits aside, charity week was great in terms of bringing the campus community closer together, as we drew people from athletic teams, fraternities, sororities and many other organizations to our events,”Rainey said.

He added that the final figures have not yet been calculated, but that the great weather this past week could have actually had adverse effects on the amount raised. The events are estimated to have raised roughly two thousand dollars.