Young Harper Alsobrook holds one of many gifts collected during a Christmas party at the Sigma Chi house benefiting the East Ridge Needy Child Fund. From left, Larry Phillips, Stan Stout, Gail Phillips, Tony Wild, Debbie Colburn, Tate Kelso, David Everett (Santa) and Ken Wild.
On Saturday night the Delta Theta Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity hosted a Christmas party to benefit the East Ridge Needy Child Fund at their fraternity house on Siskin Drive.
Chapter President Tate Kelso said he invited all the brothers, alumni and sorority members on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to the party. The price of admission was to bring a toy to be donated to the Needy Child Fund.
More than a hundred young people representing Greek organizations on campus turned out and brought gifts ranging from bicycles to bubble bath.
“I’m excited the way this turned out,” said Kelso, who leads the chapter of 73 active members. “It was really great.”
Debbie Colburn, her grandson Harper Alsobrook, Gail and Larry Phillips and Gina Harvey were on hand to accept the gifts from the Greeks and bring it back to East Ridge to be included in helping make Christmas for more than 40 needy families and their children.
Colburn thanked the Sigma Chi’s for their generosity.
“I am so grateful for what you’ve done,” she told those gathered around the Christmas tree in the foyer of the house. “As I look at some of the gifts that you all have donated, I can tell you that members of the Needy Child Fund went shopping on Saturday and I see many of the items that we were looking for you all have brought.
“You are going to help make Christmas for many people who otherwise would not have had a Christmas at all.”
Young men and women who attended the party and donated gifts included those from Sigma Kappa, Delta Zeta, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, Gamma Phi Beta and BYX.
_ Dan LaGraff, a member of the Sigma Chi House Corporation, noted that the house corporation is donating a $250 check to the Chattanooga School for Arts & Sciences. The check is earmarked to offset costs for the school having recently built an all-access playground that accommodates children with disabilities.
