Inaugural Theta Chi ‘Bike The Ball’ a big success

Two Theta Chi Fraternity chapters presented a $4,000
check to the Children’s Miracle Network at the beginning
of VCU’s men’s basketball game Saturday night.
Fraternity members from VCU and Old Dominion
University teamed up to raise the money in a cycling
relay that stretched from ODU in Norfolk, Va., to VCU.
The fraternity members brought the game basketball
with them as they rode along the back roads of the
nine counties that constituted their trip.
The 115-mile bicycle ride was sponsored by local
businesses such as Kobe Japanese Steak and Seafood
House, W.M. Jordan Company, Xtreme Pizza, Great
Wraps and Qdoba Mexican Grill. Community friends and
families contributed donations to the relay, as well.
“The $4,000 that was raised is distributed between
the two hospitals (Children’s Hospital and VCU’s
Department of Pediatrics),” said Ryan Corrigan,
the executive director of Richmond’s chapter of the
Children’s Miracle Network. “The money will be used
for everything from facility improvements to programs,
to direct basic care.”
Every year, the Children’s Miracle Network aids
more than 150,000 Richmond-area children who are
served by the Children’s Hospital and VCU Children’s
Medical Center.
“At first I didn’t know what it (the check presentation)
was about,” said Shardonnay Reaves, a VCU freshman
who attended the game. “But I think it’s a great idea
for the kids, and I’m for it 100 percent. I hope they can
continue to keep doing this every year.”
The bicycle relay began on ODU’s campus at noon
and ended in front of the Stuart C. Siegel Center at 7:30
p.m., half an hour before the game’s tip-off. Theta Chi’s
philanthropist chair and event coordinator, Aaron Page,
rode the final five miles.
“It was long, it was hard and it was windy,” Page said.
“It was a lot colder than we thought, but we made it
and we’re here, so it went all right. We’re going to try to
make this an annual thing . for either the VCU-ODU
game or a game similar to it.”
VCU’s entire Theta Chi chapter awaited Page’s arrival
outside the doors of the Siegel Center with the largerthan-
life check. Members of Theta Chi wore yellow
shirts covered in sponsors’ logos and “Bike The Ball”
written in bold.
When Page came around the corner of Broad and
Harrison streets, the fraternity members shouted spirit
songs louder than the announcements from the building’s
indoor public-announcement system.
As the assistant athletic director for marketing and
promotions, Keith Rafter helped organize
both the check presentation and the
presentation of the ball to officials at the
beginning of the game.

“I think you had a bunch of energetic
guys from Theta Chi that wanted to do
something special for this game and to
raise some money for a good charity,”
Rafter said.

VCU’s Theta Chi President Jonathan
Wang is delighted with the camaraderie
the event created. The cyclists were a
combined 27 Theta Chi members from
both universities.

“It definitely brought our brotherhood
together, as well as our chapter from Old
Dominion University, for a really great
cause. I mean everybody banded together,”
Wang said. “We hit a few bumpy roads
along the way, because it is our first year
doing it, but – other than that – I couldn’t
have been happier.”