Iowa's Pi Kappa Phi Show Others What It's Like to Live With a Disability

Frat Works to Help Those With Disabilities

As reported by Eric Rodriguez of the Daily Iowan:

Today, pairs of fraternity men will take turns sitting at the top of 6-foot scaffolding late into the evening. The scene will showcase members of Pi Kappa Phi as they work to raise money for Push America - a charity that raises money for the disabled population of Iowa City and one that was started by the fraternity.

The 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. event is scheduled to conclude the fraternity's "No Boundaries Week," which the group organizes annually to bring up issues people with disabilities face.

David Hartwig, the president of the Pi Kappa Phi chapter at the UI, said the event is an effort to make a statement to the community. "Just because people are disabled, it doesn't mean that they don't exist," Hartwig said.

Pi Kappa Phi is the only fraternity in the nation to own and operate its own philanthropy. The charity was established in 1977, when Thomas Sayre, an architecture student and Pi Kappa Phi member at the University of North Carolina, wanted to build accessible playground equipment for children with disabilities.

Now, the organization has expanded to other chapters, and it incorporates such fundraisers as cycling trips, construction programs, and push camps, which also benefit people with disabilities. The UI group raised an estimated total of $10,500 last year from its activities earmarked for the national philanthropy.

Last week, Pi Kappa Phi hosted empathy dinners at 8 sororities. At the dinners, the fraternity brothers simulated what it's like to live with disabilities by blindfolding the women's eyes, duct-taping their fingers, and inserting earplugs into their ears.

"The sorority sisters were given some impairments, and it was to show how a disability could affect something as simple as eating," said Greg Buehner, the community service chairman for Pi Kappa Phi.