Contact: Sammy McDavid
To raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a Mississippi State women's organization is sponsoring a variety of campus activities March 31 and April 1.
In addition to a "Frats at Bat" Softball Tournament to be held both days at the university's Intramural RecPlex, members of Delta Delta Delta social sorority have organized both a silent auction and home-run derby on the second day.
The softball tournament, which actually involves competition by both fraternity and sorority members, will begin at 4 p.m. on the 31st and 10 a.m. on the 1st. The home-run derby swings into action at 1 p.m. on the 1st, also at the RecPlex.
Tickets for both field events are $5 a day; $8 for a two-day pass. Purchases may be made in advance from any Tri-Delta member or at the gate.
The multi-field RecPlex is situated on the south side of campus just off Blackjack Road near the Louis Wise Center.
The auction of donated items gets under way at 10 a.m. on the 1st at the Tri-Delta House on Robert L. Jones Drive in the new sorority and fraternity house district. Admission is free.
Erin A. Loper of Vicksburg, a sophomore communication major and chapter vice president for public relations, said the organization's goal is to exceed the $40,000 raised at the first such event last year.
"We are asking Mississippi State University students, alumni, employees, and friends, as well as all other residents of Starkville, Oktibbeha County and surrounding areas, to help us help the kids of St. Jude," Loper added.
Located in Memphis, Tenn., the medical facility was the first institution established in the United States solely to conduct basic and clinical research into catastrophic diseases, primarily cancer, faced by children. Mississippi is one of the many states directly benefiting from its services.
For additional information on the fund-raising weekend, telephone Loper at (662) 325-0045 or Robbie Bullock at 324-1179. The Tri-Delta house number is 325-6996.