ZTA hosts Tricky Tray, a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
By Hannah Newman
To bring awareness and raise donations for Breast Cancer Awareness Month the sister of Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) hosted their largest annual event of the year, Tricky Tray, on Oct. 10 for family, friends, alumni and Rider students.
Over 100 people attended the banquet, where sisters shared their passion to fight breast cancer with raffles and activities that allow family and friends from both on and off campus to support the sorority in leading the world around them to become a better place. The two hosts of Tricky Tray, sophomore marketing major Hana Doroba and junior digital marketing major Kayla Wagner, shared what they felt was the best part about hosting this event.
“I think this event is a really fun way to get all of our family and friends together, but then it also, of course, raises money for our philanthropy, Breast Cancer Education and Awareness, so it is just a really great way to unite everyone in supporting this cause,” said Wagner.
“I think this is really special to everyone here and a great way to get all the sisters and families together while also raising money for our philanthropy,” said Doroba.
President of ZTA, Ellie Hyland, a senior elementary education major, relayed her message of what ZTA is and how this event contributed to defining what this sorority stands for.
“ZTA has a wide, diverse group of girls that all come together for the same reason: leadership opportunities, community service, philanthropy and making endless memories with lifelong friends. I think the best part about this event is having the family, friends, alumni, faculty and students come together just to raise money for a really important cause that affects many people around the world. This is one of the biggest fundraising events that any ZTA does, and we are just a small chapter, so I thank everyone for coming together and raising money with us,” said Hyland.
Senior elementary education major and ZTA Vice President Alicia Buechner explained the importance of the event.
“This event allows us to get together with everyone that we love and do what we love, and I think that is the most important part about this for us. Being surrounded by everyone we love and showing them how much we appreciate ZTA and how much we have done to raise money for breast cancer,” said Buechner.
Sisters put in hours of their time to create a welcoming setting for their guests inside of the Cavalla Room with music and decorations, as well as an endless array of prize baskets that were tied with pink ribbon and secured with faith.
A few of the sisters shared their favorite part of the event and what they felt is the highlight of being a part of the ZTA community.
Sophomore elementary education major Angelina Leunes said, “My favorite part about the event is having my family and friends here and getting to show them the true purpose of being in ZTA, what we do and our philanthropy. I think this is a great way to show them what I am involved in on campus and how meaningful it is to me.”
Senior elementary school education major Brittany Buechner said, “My favorite part is having all of our families here, especially since we have not been able to hold in-person events in a very long time. It is nice to see everyone’s faces again and be able to raise money for our philanthropy and just do what we love.”
Hannah Wade, a senior elementary education major, along with Caroline King, a junior English major, expressed their feelings about having the sisters’ families here to get a sneak peek at what life for the girls of ZTA is really like.
“I love meeting everyone’s family and friends and seeing how excited they are to support our philanthropy because we are so passionate about it, and it is great to see how passionate the community is as well,” said Wade.
King said, “I am most excited for all of the families to come together because I feel like it is hard for all of our families to get to know each other being busy college students, and since we are such a big sisterhood, I feel like our families will really be able to see that so I am really excited to meet everybody’s parents, siblings and friends.”
While ZTA honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they also wish to remind the community at Rider to take advantage of on-campus leadership opportunities, which can strengthen the individual to become an influence on the world beyond their years at Rider.
Rider News editor Olivia Nicoletti is a sister of ZTA. Nicoletti had no part in the writing or editing of this story.
