Ellie Sherry — Reporter
Southern’s Alpha Sigma Alpha chapter had their tenth anniversary Buzz-AThon event to raise money for their charity, Camp Rising Sun.
Camp Rising Sun is a camp for children aged five to 17-years-old undergoing cancer treatment or are in remission. Yearly donations form groups like Alpha Sigma Alpha those children to attend free of charge.
The Sigmas charged participants in the Buzz-A Thon $10 for a haircut on the patio of Buley Library. There was also an option to donate money to the cause without having to receive a haircut. They had even set-up an online portal for donations to Camp Rising Sun directly.
The sorority contacted many different hair stylists to ensure there would be enough of them for the event. The hairstylists needed to be willing to take a day off of work and do the work for free since it was for charity. After several calls, five hairstylists were kind enough to come
and do the Buzz-A-Thon. These hairstylists then gave haircuts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some of the hairdressers even did a few extra cuts in between their two thirty-minute slots.
One of the primary women who helped to run the Buzz-A-Thon was exercise science major Brianna Rovella, a senior, who said the hairdressers were not people they knew, rather people whom Alpha Sigma Alpha reached out to in order to share its story. They just came out of the kindness in their hearts. “We couldn’t be more blessed.” Rovella said.
About 60 people came to get their hair cut, according to Rovella, and about 30 people donated money. As well as accepting cash, the group also took credit cards.
While Rovella was one of the main coordinators for the event, everyone in the sorority had a job to do in order to make the event run smoothly. Nursing major Kayla Bonaldo, a sophomore, was another one of the sisters who helped out with the event.
“Each sister played a vital role in the Buzz-A-Thon event. From planning and organizing to advertising and tabling, our teamwork as an organization led to a successful fundraiser event.” said Bonaldo. “As the public relations chairman of our chapter, my role in the event was making sure SCSU knew about one of the biggest philanthropic events we hold. We had a ten-day countdown on our Instagram page as well as many fliers posted by the chapter and by the sisters. One thing we did to promote the event was taking over the SCSU snapchat for the day, sharing pictures and videos from the event.”
The sorority made a decent amount of money to donate to the Camp Rising Sun, and Southern students were able to get a cheap haircut.
Some of the sisters even got their hair cut. Communications major Celina Hunter, a junior, said, “I actually got bangs at the event, and I am still adjusting to them. I love them so far, and I am glad that I could donate to a good cause while experimenting with my hair. But it came together, and I absolutely love how it turned out,” said Gale. “It feels really good, you know. It feels good to know our hard work didn’t go to waste.”
