A Shot to End the Shot: DEPsi's Fight against Juvenile Diabetes
As a proud new member of Delta Epsilon Psi, Inc., words cannot describe the level of excitement brewing in our colony as we prepare to throw our first charitable event on NJIT’s campus. The ‘Who’s Got Game’ basketball tournament is a signature event thrown by our fraternity nationally to raise funds for our primary philanthropy, which is to find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes). This condition afflicts over 150 million people worldwide a year. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is a pioneer in research against this tragic disease; therefore, 100% of the proceeds raised during our basketball tournament will be donated to JDRF.
Our passion to work towards a cure for Juvenile Diabetes stems from the unwavering dedication of a fallen brother many years ago. Vishal Bhagat, afflicted with this condition, had a vision early on to direct the large resources of the fraternity towards the welfare of young diabetics. His devotedness to humanity motivated other brothers to establish our first national philanthropy. Vishal’s ingenuity and love for football led him to develop a community-wide flag football tournament to raise money for JDRF. The Sugar Free Bowl, which began in 2002, has been held annually by several chapters ever since. The idea of fighting Juvenile Diabetes with competitive sports spread to other areas such as basketball, dodge-ball, tennis, and volleyball. In combination with all of these signature events, ΔΕΨ raises over $50,000 annually towards JDRF. It is now at NJIT that we hope to bring the widespread success of our fundraisers to raise awareness about a condition that affects millions of children. Tau Colony wishes to motivate and educate, through an enjoyable tournament, the students of NJIT about the challenges that people afflicted with Juvenile Diabetes undergo. Those who participate in the tournament will be rewarded with prizes and free shirts to help spread the word. We hope that students and basketball enthusiasts unite in the fight against Juvenile Diabetes and perpetuate Vishal Bhagat’s vision.
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Sapan Patel
Tau Colony
