ATO Raises Money for The Boys and Girls Club of Oxford

Dispite the rain, ATO held their annual BBQ, at their house, this afternoon honoring The Boys and Girls Club of Oxford through their Greek Open tennis tournament.

Each year the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity holds The Robert E. Langley Greek Open honoring a different local organization. Langley, an Oxford policeman involved in an accident during 2004, when the ATO house burned to the ground is now honored through their philanthropy.

Each sorority appoints a Tennis Girl to help raise money for the event. “I pass around a bucket for change during chapter,” Pi Beta Phi tennis girl, Elizabeth Ryan said. “I also sit at the Union so people can donate money and buy ATO t-shirts.”

The fraternity holds an annual BBQ to bring people together, all waiting to hear which sorority raised the most money and will be named Best Sorority Overall. “The tennis girls are also responsible for selling tickets for the annual BBQ,” Ryan said.

The children from the Boys and Girls Club are also welcome to attend the BBQ, giving them the opportunity to meet some of the ATO’s and other students very involved with the Greek Open.

“We usually raise between $25,000 to $30,000 a year,” Troy Jackson, ATO’s philanthropy chair said. The first year The Greek Open was held they gave the money to Robert Langley’s family. In 2008 ATO purchased a new fire truck for the Oxford-Lafeyette Volunteer Fire Department.

“We donated enough money in 2009 for an entire wing for the Oxford-Lafeyette Humane Society,” Jackson said. Camp Hopewell, a camp that holds different camps throughout the summer received a donation in 2010 for two of their camps including Camp for Children with Disabilities and Christians Living with Cancer.