Bucknell frat spends fall break running 182 miles for charity

Samantha Rhodes | Georgetown University

While many college students returned home for fall break to see family, sleep in their own beds and eat home-cooked meals, the members of Bucknell University’s Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity ran an 182-mile race.

“Fraternities in general kind of get a bad rap. I mean, everyone’s seen the stories, and so anything that we can do to show that there are positives to Greek life," says Evan Miu, a 21-year-old Bucknell senior and this year’s relay co-chair.

The Ronald Reagan Run -- created by the local TKE Beta Mu chapter to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association -- started on Oct. 8 in Bucknell's town of Lewisburg, Pa., and ended Oct 11 on the White House lawn. It consisted of 18 teams with approximately three to six member each, with each team responsible for running a 10-mile leg.

More than 60 brothers participated this year, up from some 40 in 2014, and all 83 brothers helped fundraise.

Instead of passing a baton during the race, participants passed a horseshoe -- a traditional TKE symbol for good luck.

In 2001, TKE adopted the Alzheimer’s Association as its national philanthropy, and each chapter is encouraged to raise funds.

Beta Mu has raised more money for the association than any other TKE chapter in the nation – over $300,000 to date from the run alone, according to Miu.



VOICES: What it's like to be openly gay in a fraternity

Miu not only organized the event, but also raised more money than any other Bucknell brother for the second year in a row. His total this year: $11,150. The entire chapter raised more than $56,000 so far, making this run Beta Mu’s most successful yet.

“The Alzheimer’s Association is doing a great thing, and we’re just proud to support them in any way that we can," Miu says.

TKE President Kyle DeViney, 21, says the Ronald Reagan Run is just one of the many reasons he’s proud to be a member.

“Two things (why I love TKE) would be the diverse experiences that you’re exposed to that help you develop as a man,” DeViney says. “And secondly, the lifelong relationships that you build with the other brothers in the organization, which is pretty awesome.”

When the final two runners arrived White House, the scene was that of true brotherhood. Their TKE brothers erupted in applause, congratulating each other with high-fives. A few of the newer members looked around exclaiming, “Wow, guys, I can’t believe we did it.”

As the excitement died down, John Christopher Broullire, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association chapter in D.C., thanked the brothers in front of the White House.

“The money that you raised on this run is going to go to research for a cure for Alzheimer’s and help people who have (the disease), so thank you so, so much," Broullire said.

And with that, the Beta Mu TKE brothers hopped in their cars and drove back to Bucknell, leaving behind them a palpable energy and many awed onlookers.



Samantha Rhodes is a student at Georgetown University and a fall 2015 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.