On March 27, 2022, the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at Auburn University held a golf tournament fundraiser for the Parkinson Association of Alabama. Playing on the centerpiece of golf in its name, the "ATOPen" tournament raised about $10,000 for individuals affected by Parkinson's disease.
The ATO chapter selected Parkinson Association of Alabama because the father of an alumnus of the chapter's 2017 cohort passed away due to the disease. Chapter leaders hope that fellow community service groups will follow in their footsteps by donating to the PAA. The tournament was organized by the chapter's philanthropy chair, Jack Hilton, and its former chair head, Trey Moncreif.
This year's "ATOpen" saw an increase of over $2,000 higher in total funds raised than that of the previous year. "We hope that this donation will bring Parkinson's patients more peace knowing that people are thinking and praying for them," Hilton said.
Held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Opelika, AL, the event was open to members of the fraternity, as well as friends, family, and alumni of the ATO Alpha Epsilon Chapter. Trey Moncreif and his father came out on top in the tournament's golf scramble.
According to Hilton, "The event was overwhelmingly positive. Many of the brothers and alumni had the date for the open marked on their calendar months in advance. The individuals who attended gave generously on both the raffle as well as merchandising sales."
"Parkinson Association of Alabama would like to give the young men of the ATO Auburn chapter a big round of applause for all of the fantastic work they did in raising funds for our organization," Bibby Bailey, PAA executive director, said.
If you know of someone that is attending a campus in Alabama that is part of the Greek Life - be sure to let them know the PAA would be happy to collaborate with them on any fundraising opportunities in the future.