Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) and Theta Delta Phi (Theta), two of Kenyon’s Greek organizations, hosted a 3K Turkey Trot charity event together on Sunday. The event was held in order to raise money for the upcoming Shawn Kelly Holiday Party, an annual holiday celebration held for underprivileged kids in Knox County. Members of the Kenyon and Knox County communities had the opportunity to donate $10 in order to participate, and as a result of the event’s success, DKE and Theta were able to raise around $1,000 in total.
DKE and Theta have held a number of fundraising events this fall in order to raise money for the Shawn Kelly event, such as Theta Thrift, for which the organization resold donated clothing items, and Trick or Treat, for which students could purchase a trick or a treat for a friend. Unlike these past few fundraisers, the Turkey Trot was also open to community members beyond Kenyon and had 100 people donate — 60-80 of whom walked or ran the course.
Theta’s community service co-chair Mallory Brophy ’25 noted that the breadth of people who participated in the trot greatly contributed to the event’s success. “What was really awesome about it was it allowed different teams and organizations and groups across campus to get involved. And we also opened it up to anyone who wanted to donate who was even on the Gap Trail that morning,” she said. “We were like, of course, we have extra bibs, and we would love to have you and have your support.”
Brophy also explained that besides the event’s primary purpose as a fundraiser, it also served as a fun way for the community to come together. “There was such good energy from everyone that was there, and it was super inclusive; you could sign up to run, you could sign up to walk or you could just hang out and eat a doughnut and drink coffee and hang out with friends,” she said. “We had music going and people just walked in groups, or they could make it competitive, and so I think that was really awesome.”
DKE President Dylan Osimetha ’23 reiterated the Turkey Trot’s success at fostering a stronger sense of community. “Anytime you can get the whole community involved in an activity, I think it’s really a huge boost to building our relationships across campus,” he said.
DKE and Theta hope to make the Turkey Trot an annual fundraising opportunity following this year’s success. The two organizations will also have two more fundraisers next week: Late Night Bites on Tuesday night, where students can buy doughnuts, pizza and sundaes; and a Giving Thanks tabling in Peirce Dining Hall, where students can donate money to write a note of gratitude to a faculty member. All of the money raised will go towards the Shawn Kelly Holiday Party, and in addition to these fundraisers, all are invited to donate to the cause using the event’s GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/832f76c4.