Story By: Aubrey Grace Mayhew
MONTEVALLO, Ala. — On Sept. 30, Delta Gamma hosted Anchor Games for their fall philanthropy event where other Greek organizations competed in field day-style water games for a chance to win a cash prize towards their own philanthropy.
Delta Gamma also crowned their new Anchor Man, Adan Guerrero, a Greek man who holds and demonstrates the values and qualities of a DG
Chapters battled in various events such as water laser tag, relay races and ring toss. Alpha Kappa Lambda and Alpha Gamma Delta were crowned victorious after various water games were played on Brooke Quad.
But it wasn’t all fun and games, Delta Gamma had to face a setback that interrupted a 35 year old tradition: Anchor Splash.
After the closure of the University of Montevallo’s pool disrupted its original plans, the Zeta Nu chapter of Delta Gamma’s Vice President of Foundations developed an entirely new fall philanthropy event, bringing members together to adapt to the unexpected change and continue the chapter’s support for Service for Sight.
The event marked a shift from the chapter’s original plans and proved its ability to rethink its approach to campus fundraising and community engagement.
Emily Lacy, Zeta Nu’s VP of Foundations, said between lead-in events and the main philanthropic event that the chapter raised over $1,200 for the Delta Gamma foundation.
When the University confirmed the closure of the campus pool, Lacy had to think fast.
I was very nervous about it- nobody’s ever done this before,
Emily Lacy, VP of Foundations for Zeta Nu
“I thought about doing Anchor Slam. I thought about doing volleyball. There was all kinds of different sports things” she said, “but I didn’t think it would be very popular because intramurals is dying out.”
Before the Spring term ended, Lacy had pitched the idea of Anchor Games to advisors after deliberation with other sisters across the country who held her same position. Lacy said that she had seen other chapters host variations of the same event, but Lacy wanted to incorporate water in ode to Anchor Splash.
Anchor Splash has always been a staple for Delta Gamma chapters across the country. “I was very nervous about it” said Lacy, “nobody’s ever done this before.”
Not everything is smooth sailing though, Lacy said there was a lot of behind the scenes work that comes with creating and pitching a new philanthropy event. “Coming up with the packet. I had to create all the rules. I had to create all of the funding for how much the teams were going to cost.”
Lacy said she did her best to prepare the next VP Foundations with everything they’d need and to “hopefully continue this on for as long as possible without the stress of creating something new.”
