Sigma Alpha Epsilon members at Marshall University were soaked for a cause on Friday, April 18, during their new “Mo Wash” philanthropy event supporting Movember and men’s mental health initiatives.
Mark Dillow, member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said he wanted to create a fundraiser that would stand out and get people talking.
“I didn’t want it to be the usual fundraiser where you sit behind a table and hope people walk up,” Dillow said. “I wanted something that would get people involved, make them stop, watch and maybe even learn something along the way.”
Held outside the Marshall Student Center, “Mo Wash” charged $3 per splash, giving students and faculty the chance to soak fraternity members with buckets of water in exchange for donations. Throughout the event, participants also had the option to cut deals, such as $5 for 10 seconds of continuous hose spraying.
The interactive fundraiser drew inspiration from the popular USC Ice Bucket Challenge videos circulating online. Dillow said he first came up with the idea during study hours, aiming to put Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s own spin on an engaging, attention-grabbing event.
At first, participation was slow, but the event quickly gained momentum. According to Kamon Anderson, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon president, support from students and faculty picked up as the afternoon went on.
“For the first hour or so, we really only had the ladies at Alpha Chi participating, which we appreciated so much,” Anderson said. “But as the time passed, more and more students and faculty joined in as they passed by.”
The chapter raised over $230 in just three hours despite the Memorial Student Center being closed at the time — a factor Dillow believes may have limited foot traffic. Still, both Dillow and Anderson were thrilled with the outcome, especially considering the 90-degree heat, which made the event even more enticing to passersby.
Beyond raising money, Sigma Alpha Epsilon hoped to spark conversations around mental health. Movember, one of the fraternity’s national philanthropic partners, focuses on men’s mental health, suicide prevention and cancer awareness.
“We wanted people to get that mental health can be overwhelming,” Dillow said. “That’s why we let the event get a little chaotic with the multiple splashes, the constant water, the unpredictability of it all.”
Both Dillow and Anderson emphasized the event’s lighthearted, energetic nature made a serious topic more approachable, encouraging open discussion without the heaviness that often surrounds mental health conversations.
“I believe that this event helped the brothers get out and really help with something bigger than themselves,” Anderson said. “It showed how fun it can be to help a very important cause.”
All the fraternity members who participated volunteered willingly — no nominations or assignments necessary. Dillow said he was proud of how the brothers rallied around the cause and fully embraced the experience, even as they were repeatedly soaked in front of their peers.
“At first, some of the guys were kind of like, ‘Wait, what are we doing?'” Dillow said. “But once people started hitting us with water, it was just pure fun. That moment really tied it all together.”
The success of “Mo Wash” has already secured its place in Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s future plans. Both Anderson and Dillow confirmed the chapter intends to bring the event back next year, hoping to build it into a longstanding campus tradition.
“We loved doing it, the people who participated loved it, and it just feels like the start of something we can build into a tradition,” Dillow said.
Ultimately, Sigma Alpha Epsilon hopes “Mo Wash” will be remembered not just for the fun and laughter, but for the larger message it carried.
“I hope they remember the fun we had, even though it was about something really serious,” Dillow said. “We made it a good time, but we never lost sight of why we were doing it.”
Tally Mamula can be contacted at [email protected].
