By Katy Shenk
Elm Staff Writer
Nothing quite stacks up like pancakes and friendship, and one fraternity on campus likes to bring both to the table every semester.
On Saturday, April 7, Washington College’s Kappa Sigma fraternity hosted its 19th bi-annual pancake breakfast at Emmanuel Episcopal Church from 8 a.m. to noon.
All profits from the event are split between the fraternity’s philanthropies, the Military Heroes Campaign and Prostate Cancer Research at the University of Virginia, said senior Patrick Mariboe.
“In 2007, Kappa Sigma Headquarters started The Military Heroes Campaign and we have been supporting it ever since. The Campaign provides financial assistance to wounded soldiers and their families,” he said.
Junior Jack Wilson was the service chair for the breakfast, and was responsible for a number of tasks in the days leading up to the event itself.
Thanks to its history of hosting the breakfast at Emmanuel Church, the event organizers enjoy strong communication with the church.
“I make sure we have the church booked and have the health forms approved to allow us to cook for the public. I’m also responsible for purchasing the food and supervising during the event,” Wilson said.
Under the oversight of sophomore treasurer Brandon Gross, who is in charge of funding analytics, Wilson also managed the Pancake table in Hodson Hall and ensured fraternity brother participation in ticket and T-shirt sales.
In addition to advertising the event in Hodson, Kappa Sigma placed an advertisement in the TideWater Trader, a news magazine that is distributed throughout Delaware and the Eastern Shore. They also hung posters around the campus and Chestertown.
The attendance goal for this year’s breakfast was 600 people. The fraternity hoped that other campus events on Saturday, such as Parents Weekend and Admitted Students Day, would increase attendance and overall money raised, Wilson said.
In total, approximately 425 people attended Saturday’s breakfast to raise a total of $2,450. As treasurer, Gross said he has the privilege of donating on behalf of the chapter to the two philanthropies.
Other highlights of the morning included a “Snapchat takeover” of the National Kappa Sigma Organization by WC’s chapter.
Mariboe recalled the successes of previous breakfasts, specifically in the fall of 2016 with regards to breaking records.
“After a very successful and record-breaking Pancake, some of the senior brothers thought it would be refreshing to dunk their heads into some bowls of leftover pancake batter. Needless to say, it was a bit messy,” he said.
Additionally, Mariboe spoke to the significance of the fundraiser for Kappa Sigma as a whole.
“This event is important to us because it not only allows us to raise money for two amazing organizations, but it also allows us to build a relationship with the Chestertown and WC communities in the process. We’ve always had a great turnout from fellow students, professors, and Chestertown natives, so being able to serve them is a truly awesome experience,” he said. “I am very proud of the organization and would like to thank everyone for coming out to our favorite event of the year.”