The Gamma Mu Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma (Tri-Sigmas) will host its fifth annual kickball tournament to raise funds for their national philanthropy, the Robbie Page Memorial (RPM) fund.
Originally titled “Kickin’ for a Cure,” in support of Susan G. Komen, the sorority renamed the tournament “Kickin’ for the Kids” to coincide with the efforts of its national philanthropy.
“We decided to change it because it supports our national philanthropy,” said Emily McDonald, president of Tri-Sigma. “We still support the Susan G. Komen for our local philanthropy, but we just decided to do it in another way. A lot of people support Susan G. Komen; this gives publicity to a cause that many people don’t know about.”
The Robbie Page Memorial Fund was established as a part of the Tri-Sigma Foundation, which is a non-profit organization providing scholarships and leadership programs, therapeutic play and child life programs to support ill children and raise awareness of the importance of child play.
Robbie Page, who died of bulbar polio at five years of age, was the son of a former National Tri-Sigma President. The fund began as a way to raise money for polio research projects, and  later migrated toward support and funding for therapeutic play, after a cure was found for polio. Since its official partnership with Tri-Sigma in 1954, the RPM Fund has raised more than $3 million to help children.
Therapeutic play, also known as child life and recreational therapy, allows ill children to continue physical, emotional and intellectual development through play while under hospital care. They aim to help children understand and accept their disease and hospital treatments, which decreases stress and anxiety levels and provides support and education to ease coping.
All proceeds from the tournament, on Sunday, Feb. 24, will be donated to the Robbie Page Memorial Fund. The games will begin in North Oak Park at 9 a.m. and continue until a winning team gains victory. Each will be put into a winners or losers bracket as the tournament advances. Following the final round, the winners of the two brackets will face one another in a playoff game.
The cost of registration is $15 and includes a T-shirt and refreshments. Registration will be open through Feb. 18; fees will not be used to cover any costs associated with the event and will be contributed directly to the sorority’s donation to the Robbie Page Memorial Fund.
The sorority hopes to involve all campus Greek organizations and raise a minimum of $2,000.
“Our goal is always to set over $2,000,” added McDonald. “Another goal we have is for every Greek organization to set up a team.”
Students can also contribute to the organization’s philanthropic efforts this semester by making a donation during the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival and the “Rockin’ for Robbie” fundraising drive held in the Student Union. The proceeds of the two events will benefit the sorority’s local and national philanthropic efforts.
To register for “Kickin’ for the Kids” contact the event chairman, Mackenzie Foreman by email at mackenzie.foreman@selu.edu. For more information on the Tri-Sigma Foundation and Robbie Page Memorial Fund, visit www.trisigmafoundation.org.