On March 21, 2026, all 52 founding brothers of Sigma Chi Pi showed up to Northeastern's Relay for Life at the Reggie Lewis Center. The goal was simple: raise $10,000 for cancer research. For a chapter that had existed for two months, most people thought that was unrealistic.
We closed the ring. $10,345 raised in under a week, placing us 2nd among all Northeastern fraternities, ahead of organizations with over twice our membership. 129 unique donors behind 52 brothers. That's 2.48 donors per brother, and it says something about the kind of people in this room and the kind of people who believe in them.
What made the night memorable wasn't really the dollar amount. It was watching 52 guys who genuinely wanted to be there, running laps at midnight, cheering each other on, and losing their minds when the final total came in. That energy doesn't get manufactured. It only happens when people actually care.
NUPD Jail N' Bail: $5 to have someone "arrested," $5 more to bail them out. We paid $25 to upgrade Tim Gramer to real cuffs and a full victory lap around the track with a police escort. Massive shoutout to Officer Giovanni from NUPD for being an incredible sport about it.
One of the standout contributions came from Todd Gould, who organized a philanthropic March Madness bracket that alone pulled in over $900. It was one of those ideas that sounds simple but takes real follow-through, and Todd made it happen.
Relay for Life is the preeminent Greek Life fundraiser at Northeastern, and cancer research holds personal significance for our fraternity. Sigma Chi's national philanthropy is the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, a partnership that has generated over $20 million for cancer research nationwide. For us, this wasn't a checkbox. It was a chance to prove that a brand-new chapter can show up and mean it.
Every dollar goes to the American Cancer Society's mission: funding research, supporting patients, and pushing advocacy forward. What 52 brothers did in under seven days is just the start. The next goal is already set higher.
"Let's remember, this isn't just about raising money. That $10,000 is going towards saving people's lives. Providing people comfort during care. Sparing families from some of the experiences that some of us in this room have gone through. And perhaps most importantly, they'll know that there are people in this community who care."
- Spencer Kaufman, at chapter
To every donor, every family member, every friend who put money behind us: thank you. To the brothers of Sigma Chi Pi, this is what happens when you actually expect more from yourselves and from each other.