Philanthropy
Membership in Sigma Chi involves both service-oriented activities as well as social bonding for its members. Sigma Chi's suggested beneficiaries for chapter community service projects are the Children's Miracle Network and the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Since 1992 Sigma Chi chapters have raised more than $4.2 million dollars for area CMN hospitals and devoted thousands of hours of service to CMN affiliates. The Huntsman Cancer Institute was added as another beneficiary in 2005. In the 2005-06 academic year, Sigma Chi raised $473,757.43 for the Children's Miracle Network, as well as $55,244.63 for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Also, our chapter has adopted the American Heart Association as a preferred charity in memory of brother Michael DeVito.
Our largest philanthropy is Derby Days, a week of different events that pit the sororities against each other. Derby Days was founded at UC Berkeley in 1934 and Sigma Chis across the country have raised over $2 million since. Sororities earn points throughout the week for participation and generosity, and at the end of the week a champion is crowned! Last year, we raised over $10,000 for our charities.
Children's Miracle Network
At the 1992 Balfour Leadership Training Workshop, Significant Sig and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Merlin Olsen (Utah State 1962) introduced Children's Miracle Network (CMN) as Sigma Chi's suggested beneficiary of proceeds from chapter community service projects. CMN, an alliance of 170 hospitals and health care facilities across the United States and Canada, generates funds for the children its associated hospitals serve.
Network hospitals treat all types of illnesses, regardless of the family's ability to pay. All financial contributions go directly to the hospital nearest the donor. All Sigma Chi chapters are located within less than 200 miles of a CMN hospital, giving members the opportunity to offer support by raising funds, visiting patients, or assisting with local educational and promotional programs.
To date, Sigma Chi alumni and undergraduate chapters have raised more than $4.2 million for the Children's Miracle Network.
Huntsman Cancer Institute
At the Sigma Chi 150th celebration in 2005, it was announced that the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) was chosen to be one of the Fraternity's preferred charitable organizations, in addition to Children's Miracle Network. Founded by Significant Sig and Constantine Sig, Jon M. Huntsman Sr. (Pennsylvania 1959) the Huntsman Cancer Institute is dedicated to finding the causes of cancer, developing new and better treatments, and preventing people from ever developing cancer. This year alone, about 563,700 Americans are expected to die of cancer – more than 1,500 people a day. In an effort to cure this epidemic, Huntsman founded HCI to focus on understanding cancer from its very beginnings and to translate this knowledge to safer and more effective treatments. HCI was chosen because many Sigs and their families have been directly affected by cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, men have an approximate lifetime risk of 1 in 2 developing the disease; for women, the risk is 1 in 3.
Jon Huntsman has already given over $225 million towards cancer research and now challenges his brothers to aid in his efforts.