Along with blue skies and warm weather, there was a very conspicuous sight on the Quad on Sunday, thanks to the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. However, KAO’s annual Kicks for CASA was more than simply a kickball tournament. Held at Quinnipiac since 2006, its purpose is to raise money for Kappa Alpha Theta’s national philanthropy, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which strives to improve the lives of children left behind by neglect and child abuse by helping them find worthy parents and decent homes.
“Our annual philanthropy event brings the campus community together to fight for a voice for children in the foster care system,” said junior Ally Giorgio, KAO’s vice president of public relations. “We are thrilled so many people came to support Kappa Alpha Theta, Greek life and CASA.”
The event was open not only to the entire Quinnipiac community, but to the Hamden community as well. Families from the Hamden area came to “Kicks” to support the cause and play kickball, and in some cases were victorious in their games.
“Children these days are bred to play kickball,” said sophomore Jordana Centauro, whose team lost to a Hamden family’s team “Happy Birthday Scott.” “I mainly came today to support Greek life, socialize with friends, work on recruitment and give back to the wider community around us.”
“It’s like a little carnival,” sophomore KAO member Liz Helming said.
Helming was referring to the layout of the event, which included far more than kickball. KAO held raffles for prizes such as Boston Red Sox tickets, a free car wash, New Jersey Devils tickets, a home cooked meal from KAO, and a Bath and Body Works gift basket. Other amenities included mocktails, snow cones, face-painting and the game of “win-a-fish.” However, the amenities were not paid for by cash, or even Q-Cash. KAO accepted “Betty Bucks,” or play money that contained the likeness of KAO’s founder Betty Locke in place of George Washington. “Betty Bucks” were also accepted for food, which included a barbecue. However, participants in the tournament ate for free.
More than 260 people participated on 26 teams, which contained between eight and 10 members each.
Sophomore John McCarthy played on the Tau Kappa Epsilon team “Broseph L. Settles,” a play on words of TKE founder Joseph L. Settles.
“TKEs are eager to support Greek life, and it is important to support each organization’s causes for mutual benefit among Greeks and to help the wider community,” McCarthy said.
Despite the event’s Greek flavor, non-Greeks also came out in force to support children, as evidenced by the co-ed team “Do It For the Children.”
In the end, the winners of the tournament hailed from the QU men’s hockey team, on the kickball squad “The L61’s,” after defeating a team called “The Beers.”
Photo credit: Amanda Shulman
