Florida Atlantic University’s Sigma Chi Fraternity raised over $70,000 for cancer research in a matter of three days, breaking two school fundraising records and earning a No. 4 national ranking among Sigma Chi chapters. This fundraising achievement for the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) follows the death of FAU Sigma Chi brother James McCoy from cancer in September.

From Nov. 11 to Nov. 13, the chapter set two fundraising records: the most money raised in a single event among all FAU fraternities and sororities ($30,540 during the Call-A-Thon) and the most money raised in a single semester at FAU. They totalled  $70,000 across different platforms such as HCI and FAU’s CrowdChange — almost doubling the previous record, according to Sigma Chi’s alumni advisor, Vincent Fernald.

McCoy’s recent death motivated the brothers to fundraise more this year, said Ryan Odabashian, the president of Sigma Chi at FAU and a marketing and accounting major. 

“His passing has just helped us to establish more of a purpose this year; like, this year means a little something extra to us because we have a firsthand reason to go so hard,” Odabashian said. 

Sigma Chi’s Call-A-Thon was the first that the FAU chapter has ever hosted among all fraternities and sororities. It started when fraternity executive board members realized how much money other chapters were able to raise in short periods, Odabashian explained.

He believes the new purpose of the Call-A-Thon is to emphasize resilience.

“I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason. It’s hard sometimes to find light in such a dark situation, and we were able to do this in just three days,” Odabashian said.

Fernald echoed this statement, stating that these achievements are a “blessing in a storm.”

Josh Ryckman, the philanthropy chair for FAU Sigma Chi and a double major in exercise science and health promotion, said he set high goals for this year’s philanthropy efforts. 

“In the past, we’ve only been part of the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s 20K club and never reached the 50K club,” Ryckman said. “My goal this year was to make it into the 50K club, and now we’ve raised our goal to 100k, and I truly believe we’re going to reach it.”

Sigma Chi has been raising money for HCI since 2015. The chapter’s donations continue to grow, as Fernald noted that alumni have pledged to donate during this semester and next, surpassing the chapter’s goal of raising $100,000 by the end of spring 2025. 

HCI is honoring McCoy’s death by dedicating a room in his name, according to Ryckman. Odbashian attributed this success to strong leadership and collaboration within the fraternity. 

“Our brothers were all committed to the cause, and that helped us stay focused,” Odbashian said. “The work we’ve put in this year has been a big team effort.”

Ryckman’s personal connection to cancer also played a role in his drive for this year’s fundraising efforts. 

“My grandfather battled and beat stage four colon cancer years ago,” Ryckman said. “Losing James to cancer touched me deeply, bringing back memories of my grandfather’s fight and reinforcing my commitment to this cause.”

Sigma Chi’s recent fundraising success is also attributed to strong leadership, the brothers said. Fernald, who has been guiding the chapter since its founding in 2013, believes the chapter’s achievements are due to the election of Ryckman as philanthropy chair and his preparation over the summer.

“We elected the right person; Josh was reelected as philanthropy chair this past spring,” Fernald said. “He attended a program at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah, where Sigma Chi officers came together for brainstorming and team building. That set the foundation for what we saw during philanthropy week.”

Fernald emphasized the importance of teamwork and strategy in the chapter’s success.

“There’s a two-point approach to this; one being that the sororities felt a commitment to participate, and two, being that Josh reached out to businesses and did some things that we just haven’t done in the past,” Fernald said. “We also had a very personal reason for doing this. The passing of James brought the cause much closer to home.” 

McCoy, who was an active member of Sigma Chi, previously raised the most money for the chapter’s cancer research fund, according to Fernald. His death in September added an emotional layer to the chapter’s fundraising efforts. 

“Losing James really brought everyone together,” Fernald said. “It made the cause even more personal, and I think that’s why we were so driven this year.”

In addition to the Call-A-Thon, Sigma Chi hosted several other fundraising events during their philanthropy week, including a car wash, two giveback nights at The Seed and How Ya Dough’n, and a gala. 

“Events like the car wash are our staple events,” Odbashian said. “But this year, we really pushed ourselves to do something new, like the Call-A-Thon, and it paid off.”

Jack Maggs, a political science major who has recently been initiated into Sigma Chi, was the first brother to raise $3,000 during philanthropy week.

“When a brotherhood like ours puts its mind to something, literally anything is possible. When I learned about the Huntsman Cancer Institute,” Maggs said. “I was stoked to finally have a platform to help, hopefully preventing a son, daughter or even a family from going through what we did.”

MaryBeth Lockwood, FAU’s director of sorority and fraternity life, is very pleased with Sigma Chi’s achievement. 

“I’m incredibly proud of Sigma Chi for breaking the fundraising record, raising over $30,000 in one event alone,” Lockwood said. “It’s exciting to see them ranked No. 4 nationally. The Greek community at FAU is very committed to philanthropy, and Sigma Chi’s efforts are a great example of that dedication.”

As Sigma Chi moves forward, the brothers remain committed to their mission of raising money for HCI and honoring the memory of McCoy. 

“We’ve always been focused on making a difference,” Ryckman said. “This year, it’s been even more personal, and that’s given us the motivation to push harder than ever.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

Courtesy of FAU's Sigma Chi chapter

The Sigma Chi chapter at FAU held a White Rose Ceremony on Nov. 11 in remembrance of fraternity brother James McCoy.

Zoe Dahan is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email zdahan2024@fau.edu.