Alpha Xi Delta raised money for their philanthropy organization, Autism Speaks, during their Hoops for Hope basketball tournament Thursday at the Marshall University Recreation Center.

This is the second year Alpha Xi Delta has hosted the three-on-three basketball tournament to raise money for their philanthropy. Alpha Xi Delta philanthropy chair, Lakin Hitt, said the Hoops for Hope event was started last year by Maggie Clark.

“I wanted to continue this because it raised a lot of money last year and I just think it’s an awesome way to get everyone involved,” Hitt said.

One competitor in the tournament, Wyatt Zuspan, said events like Hoops for Hope are great because it’s good to do something fun for a good cause.

“Well, I’ve always been into athletics and sports, and basketball is definitely one of my favorites and it’s just for Autism Speaks, which is a great cause. So doing something you love for a good cause is always a good time,” Zuspan said.

Sasha Tackett, president of Alpha Xi Delta, said it’s important for Greek life in general to be involved with different forms of philanthropy.

“I think it’s important because you go into an organization knowing friends and then you come out of it knowing about a whole organization that you could’ve known nothing about,” Tackett said. “Like, before college I didn’t know about Autism Speaks, but now I have a whole new love for it just because it’s our philanthropy, and then you learn about other people’s philanthropies as well.”

Hitt said Greek life’s involvement with philanthropy is very important to Greek life as a whole.

“I feel like Greek life in general is such a big part of different campuses in all schools around the country,” Hitt said. “So, just being paired up with an organization for a philanthropy just gives you a lot of different opportunities to raise money for that philanthropy and it’s just a great cause, each of them.”

Autism Speaks is Alpha Xi Delta’s national philanthropy across the United States. Autism Speaks is an organization that promotes solutions for the needs of individuals with autism and their families, according to the organization’s website.

The tournament included 15 separate teams competing for a prize of $150, with all proceeds raised going towards Autism Speaks.

Matthew Groves can be contacted at [email protected].