On November 6, 2021 Alpha Sigma Phi and the Entertainment Committee (EC) hosted the Phoenix Fest to raise money for COVID relief. The event included music performed by Stevens students, carnival games with prizes, and food trucks. Alpha Sigma Phi, EC, and other Greek organizations each ran their own carnival booth. Games included balloon darts, a dunk tank, ring toss, and many more activities. All of the money raised went directly to COVID relief which totaled $2,400.
Christopher Kruger, Alpha Sigma Phi’s philanthropy chair, explained the reasoning behind the name of the event and stated, “Over COVID, many Greek organizations struggled in keeping a healthy amount of new members. Just as a Phoenix rises from the ashes, we wanted to host an event to revitalize all Greek organizations by bringing awareness to all organizations who participated at Phoenix Fest. A Phoenix is also Alpha Sigma Phi’s fraternal bird.”
Kruger designed, constructed, and oversaw the Alpha Sigma Phi booth as well as the fundraising. He explained that the planning for the Alpha Sig booth began over the summer, and they started fundraising a month prior to the event using social media.
Matthew Bayne, the President of Alpha Sigma Phi, handled communication between Stevens and Alpha Sigma Phi. Bayne wrote, “We decided to have a balloon dart game; it was a great time but took a lot of effort from the brothers that had to blow up all those balloons!” When asked about the reason behind Alpha Sigma Phi’s philanthropy, Bayne explained “Our fraternity takes a lot of pride in our philanthropy efforts. […] Raising money for COVID relief helps the overall progression of eliminating the effects of COVID and hopefully placing us one step closer back to normal life.”
Aaron Siegel, the founder of Phoenix Fest and Vice President of Alpha Sigma Phi, began thinking about the idea of Phoenix Fest one year ago. He reflected on the creation of this event, explaining “Back in September of 2020, as a brother of a fraternity during the COVID lockdowns, I noticed that many were starting to lose faith and motivation in the ‘college experience’ since we were all virtual and away from one another. All of the Greek organizations were in similar boats, and as a result I made it my goal to have a sort of ‘grand return’ to campus which would impact both Greek life and the student body, as well as make a difference to those affected by the very pandemic which tore us down. It was at this point where the idea for Phoenix Fest was conceived.”
Planning the event involved Siegel reaching out to a variety of Greek organizations, coordinators, and EC. The event was approved under the premise that COVID restrictions would be enforced or could be canceled if outbreaks occurred prior to the event. The outdoor location allowed the event to be held without any restrictions.
The overall goals of the event were to raise money for COVID relief, revitalize Greek organizations, and run a COVID-safe event. Kruger, Bayne, and Siegel agreed that the event was a success with over $2,400 raised which will be donated to Direct Relief, a non-profit organization working to combat COVID. There are plans to host another Phoenix Fest next year with some changes, including the date of the event, in an effort to involve more students.
Siegel concluded, “This event would never have been able to come to fruition without the efforts of the Greek Community, generous help from the Entertainment Committee, assistance from the school and the charitable donations from Students at Stevens, and each group involved can rest assured that these efforts will make a difference to many. Specific people that demonstrated a great deal commitment and involvement, not already mentioned above, include Garrett Horwath from the Entertainment Committee, each of the Greek captains for their respective organizations, and the DJs who selflessly performed for the event without asking anything in return: Pat Besser from Alpha Sigma Phi, Marc Feliu with stage name FeliuM, and David Delatorre and Paul Mattaway with stage name Display Candle.”
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