Last week was Alpha Phi’s annual Heart Health Week, which was five days of philanthropic events focused on raising money and awareness for women’s heart health, culminating in a male beauty pageant dubbed “Mr. Heartthrob.” Men from each of the different campus fraternities were selected to compete against each other, but also to push the individual organizations towards contributing to women’s heart health by participating in the week’s events.
The week began on Monday with a bake sale and bracelet-making event, which served as a way for participants to de-stress. Tuesday night was a Bingo event, and Wednesday was a healthy snack-making event, with over 200 healthy snacks made to be donated to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter. This allowed people to give back physically rather than monetarily. On Thursday, Alpha Phi hosted a Shuffling class, showing people how to take care of their own heart health while still focusing on promoting awareness for women’s heart health.
Friday was the main event, with hundreds of students from different organizations gathered in the new Techflex auditorium to watch the show. While there were significant technical difficulties, the event organizers were able to continue the show and allow the contestants to display their skills and personalities, while also educating the audience about the realities of women’s cardiovascular disease. Each participant brought something unique to the table, from a live band, an original song, a comedy sketch, and several world record attempts. There was also a dance routine performed by sisters of the sorority on behalf of TECHnique Dance Club, and an educational music number that promoted facts about women’s heart health.
By the end, Alpha Phi announced they had raised more than they ever had before, with around $8000 going towards the Alpha Phi Foundation, a non-profit that benefits cardiovascular research in women and awards scholarships to their members. Overall, Alpha Phi held a successful week of philanthropy that not only raised money for a good cause but also put women’s heart health on the forefront of everyone’s minds.
