Alligator Online

The weekend was filled with fundraising events and volunteer work for several UF fraternities and sororities.

Friday night, Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity held its annual Poker All Night Long philanthropy. The event raised about $3,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Nearly 80 students paid between $10 and $25 to enter the poker competition, which lasted until about 2 a.m.

A video game tournament was held for those who weren’t playing poker.

“This event has a lot of things going on to make it fun for everyone,” said Danny Miller, the fraternity’s president.

UF graduate student Jonathan Shivers entered the poker competition under the “open division,” which allowed non-Greek students the opportunity to participate.

He said he decided to play because he “figured it would be a fun time and to be here for a good cause.”

Shivers only made it through the first few hands in the competition.

“The girls were the ones who were kicking butt out there,” he said.

Another example of weekend philanthropy, the Pigskins and Pigtails football game, was organized by Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

The fraternity’s vice president, Mike Patrone, said he’s expecting the total amount raised to exceed last year’s $3,000.

“The way things are going, we really think we’re going to get upwards of $4,500,” he said.

The funds will be donated to the American Cancer Society in honor of Logan Need, a Delta Tau Delta member who died of cancer in 2003.

Patrone said Need was a huge football fan. “In our eyes, he lives through this event every year,” he said.

Delta Gamma sorority won the most recent Pigskins and Pigtails game Sunday, beating out Pi Beta Phi sorority in the championship game.

The event will finish up tonight at 10 p.m. with a cheerleading competition among sororities at Sky nightclub.

Members of several UF fraternities also took part in a Red Cross cleanup Saturday.

Nearly 45 students volunteered at the organization’s local warehouse, where they spent the day restocking inventory and transporting health supplies to different regional Red Cross locations.

Kay Lenard, emergency services director for the Gainesville Red Cross, said the extra help was needed so all the supplies would be ready for the next hurricane or other disaster.

Kappa Sigma fraternity member and assistant director of service, Ozzie Mutz, supervised the event.

“We were looking for people we could help because of all the hurricanes, and the Red Cross stands out,” he said.