A CSUSM Fraternity is breaking boundaries and setting the bar high with their upcoming event that they hope will make a big impact on an important organization whose purpose is to save lives.

On Monday, March 16 through Friday March 20, CSUSM Sigma Chi Delta Colony will be hosting their Second  Annual Derby Days event.

Derby Days is Sigma Chi’s philanthropy event, in which they fundraise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute, an organization that is committed to finding the cure for cancer.

According to the 2015 Derby Days Handbook, “In December 2012, Sigma Chi designated the Huntsman Cancer Foundation as its sole preferred philanthropic partner. Founded by Huntsman, the Huntsman Cancer Institute is dedicated to finding the causes of cancer, developing new and better treatments and preventing people from ever developing cancer.”

Derby Days Chairman and Philanthropy Chair, Perry Palleja, highlighted the reasons why Sigma Chi partners with this particular organization and the importance of donating.

“Something that is unique about the Huntsman Cancer Institute is that all the money and proceeds go directly towards cancer,” he said. “John Huntsman actually pays for most of his own staff and doctors personally out of his own pocket. So, donating to this cause is important because everything goes straight to cancer research.”

Derby Days is a fun week-long event that allows sororities to get involve and compete against each other to be crowned the 2015 Derby Darling. This year, the competition will include the following Derby Darling Nominees: Taylor Stachacz from Alpha Chi Omega, Elizabeth Nadeau from Alpha Omicron Pi, Maddie Williams from Alpha Xi Delta and Linda Carter from Alpha Pi Epsilon.

Participants will attend events throughout the week in order raise funds for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. They are graded on a points system and can gain points for a variety of different activities, with fundraising being the most important. At the end of the week, the points will be tallied and a 2015 Derby Darling will be crowned.

Palleja explained that the Derby Days events are geared towards campus community involvement, and that anyone can take part in helping to fund cancer research by supporting the competing sororities, and of course, donating.

“With these events we want to spread awareness that we are the generation that is going to end cancer. We want to make it interactive, fun, meaningful and impactful for students, families and the campus community,” said Palleja.

Derby Days will kick off on March 16 with a Coaches Rally for the Derby Darling Nominees. During U- Hour on Tuesday, March 17, in front of the USU, there will be a Banner Signing that students can participate in to take a stand against cancer along with Sigma Chi. On Wednesday, March 18, there will be a Field Day event where sorority members, Derby Darling nominees and Sigma Chi coaches will participate in a competitive game of capture the flag. There will be another Banner Signing held on Thursday, March 19, and lastly on Friday, March 20, there will be a Derby Dance Off and Crowning event.

Sigma Chi encourages all students to show their support and take part in these events in order to raise awareness for cancer research and fundraise for their cause.

For more information on how to donate, students, faculty and staff can visit www.derbychallenge.org, where they can choose to sponsor the CSUSM Chapter of Sigma Chi in their effort to support the Huntsman Cancer Institute.