ESU Sorority to Hold Fundraiser for Juvenile Arthritis Research

Posted by: admin on October 12, 2012, No Comments

Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), a social sorority at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU), will host a Strike Out Arthritis fundraising event, using the game of  “Twister.” The competition will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 27, in the Keystone Room in the university’s Center for Hospitality Management. The event will be a “Twister” tournament to raise funds for various juvenile arthritis (JA) programs nationwide.

Registration for this event is open to the general public, and there is a $3 cost per person to participate. Individual participants will be placed into teams of no more than five to compete on each mat. Initially six Twister mats will be used in the tournament. More may be added depending on participation. Winners on each mat will move forward in the tournament until the championship game is played. The winner of each mat competition will move to the championship Twister mat. A grand prize will be awarded to the tournament champion.

Strike Out Arthritis is the signature philanthropy event of the Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation and it has also become a well-known tradition of Alpha Omicron Pi. Organizers say the goal is to eliminate the disease of arthritis and its debilitating effects on old and young. Proceeds will benefit arthritis research grants and educational grants for families to attend camps and seminars that help them cope with the many challenges facing youth diagnosed with arthritis. To date, the national AOII Foundation has donated more than $2 million in grants for arthritis research and education. Alpha Omicron Pi is a national sorority founded at ESU in 1987.

According to the Arthritis Foundation (arthritis.org), JA is an umbrella term used to describe the many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that can develop in children ages 16 and younger. Arthritis typically affects joints – the word “arthritis” literally means joint inflammation: arth (joint) and itis (inflammation) – but JA can involve the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract as well.

Refreshments and entertainment will be provided during this fundraising event. For more information or to register, please contact Maria Kokolis at 732- 977-2527 or aoiiesu@gmail.com.