Phi Gamma Delta fraternity benefit grants child's wish with $2,000

Money will go toward purchasing a television, video game system for Make-A-Wish recipient

By Irene Thirlwall

Fresno State’s chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity is getting a new brother, and to celebrate, it’s springing for a big screen and some video games.

With its second-annual Make-A-Wish Foundation benefit dinner April 3, Fresno State fraternity Phi Gamma Delta raised about $2,000 to benefit an area youth. The money raised by the fraternity will go toward granting a sick boy’s wish—a PlayStation 2 and a big screen television to plug it into.

Phi Gamma Delta member and event coordinator Josh Skunca said the money raised will be more than enough to grant the boy’s wish.

As an added bonus, fraternity members will also schedule a play date with the boy where they will make him an honorary brother, Skunca said.

Skunca also said the fraternity is planning on making future recipients of the planned annual gift honorary brothers of Phi Gamma Delta.

About 50 people showed up to the dinner, which was held at the Smittcamp Alumni House.

Skunca said the fraternity made a total of $4,000 from ticket sales for the dinner. About half of that money went to catering and preparing for the dinner. He said each of the brothers went to local businesses and sold tickets.

Many tickets were sold to people who did not attend the dinner.

Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Alicia Hood said she was very proud of the men from Phi Gamma Delta.

“ These are young people raising money for other young people,” Hood said. “They are men setting an example.”

Hood also told about the wishes the foundation has been able to grant. She said kids commonly ask for:

• Big-screen televisions

• Trips to Disneyland and Disney World

• Computers

• Swimming with dolphins

• Shopping sprees

• A meeting with President Bush.

All recipients of gifts from Make-A-Wish must be under 18 years of age and a doctor must have determined him/her to have a life threatening illness. Hood said the recipients used to only be those children who were dying from a terminal disease, but found that telling a child he/she was receiving a wish from Make-A-Wish would cause the child to lose hope. Now they are giving children hope.

Hood said that last year they granted 65 wishes out of 80 requested and that they receive no government funding. She said that is why they count on people like the men of Phi Gamma Delta and those attending the dinner.

“ If the other fraternities and sororities would come together, we could raise a lot of money,” Skunca said.