Brothers, fans, press, and two Eagles superstars came together to support St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity on Drexel University’s campus. In their second year hosting the event, the fraternity recruited Eagles Pro Bowl Wide Receiver AJ Brown, and Eagles Super Bowl Champion Kicker Jake Elliot to be the stars of the meet and greet.
Drexel’s Tau Kappa Epsilon (Alpha-Tau Chapter) returned to campus this fall, after serving a five year suspension. Through a successful fall rush season, and hosting multiple charitable events, TKE is on the mission to right their wrongs, and repair the fraternity’s reputation. “Considering where we were a few years ago, kicked off of campus, and now, coming back and hosting this kind of event for a good cause, it’s a big deal,” mentioned TKE brother Aiden O’Neill.
Hundreds of attendants lined up outside the chapter’s house on Powelton Avenue, filled with excitement for the event on May 5, 2024. Eagle’s kicker, Jake Elliot, was the first to arrive, taking pictures with members of companies who sponsored the event, fraternity brothers, and the swarm of Eagles supporters, young and old, full of elation to meet their hero. When speaking with the Triangle, Elliot stated, “It’s awesome for [TKE] to pull something like this off,” before admitting, “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a frat house. It’s been kind of nostalgic.”
Shortly following Elliot’s arrival, Eagle’s superstar receiver AJ Brown showed up, following Elliot’s routine of quick meet and greets and photo opportunities with the lengthy line of fans. Along with Brown and Elliot, Eagles Chief Security Officer Dom DiSandro, or Big Dom was in attendance to show support to St. Jude’s. “All you have to do is look at that line out there,” said Edward Lutz, an event attendant and class of ‘72 Drexel TKE alumni.
The event was an absolute success, as over 300 people bought tickets, and the final donation to Saint Jude’s was a staggering $10,000. May 5 was not just a big win for the community, but also a big day for TKE. “[Today] shows that were established,” said TKE Fundraising Chair Anthony Soda, “being able to be present for such an event, and seeing all the people come together, it’s a really good look.”
The excitement over meeting their football idols at the fraternity house was not just felt by the event attendees, but also by the TKE brothers. “We’re still college kids, so we watch them every single Sunday,” TKE Vice President Chris Gallelli stated. “To have the guys who are scoring game winning touchdowns and field goals, it’s a complete and total honor.” The time and attention the brothers put towards organizing and ensuring this event ran smoothly and brought in the most money was apparent the whole afternoon. “It’s awesome, yesterday when we were cleaning the house it felt like Christmas eve,” commented TKE brother Julian Pittaoulis. “We put a lot of time and effort into this event and it paid off.”