With the stress of midterms in the rearview mirror, some students just want to break something. Tau Kappa Epsilon’s second annual Pumpkin Smash gave them the perfect opportunity — and all the proceeds go to charity.
From 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct 24, TKE set up shop on Helmick Commons, just outside of Hubbell Dining Hall. They sold large pumpkins for $7, small pumpkins for $5 and cups of cider for $3.
Art supplies were provided for attendees who wished to paint their pumpkins, but the main attraction was the “smash zone.”
Attendees who chose to smash their pumpkins could choose a sledgehammer, a golf club or a baseball bat for their preferred smashing experience. There were tarps laid out and face shields provided to protect from flying pumpkin guts.
“After a stressful week of studying and homework and classes, it felt pretty good,” said Mitchell Moss, a first-year who attended the event. “It’s like a mini rage room.”
TKE chapters across the nation support St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, which was founded by the late Danny Thomas, a member of the Gamma Nu TKE chapter at the University of Toledo.
“No one deserves to live with cancer, especially a kid,” said TKE President Adam Acs. “Donating $5, $10, $20 … whatever you give makes a difference.”
The event was moved from the TKE house, where it was held last year, to Helmick Commons in the hopes of higher attendance — and it worked. Moss hadn’t heard about the event until he saw the explosion of orange on the commons.
“I was studying over in Olmsted,” Moss said. “I wandered over and people asked me if I wanted to smash a pumpkin.”
At the end of the smashing, spare pumpkins were given to Drake Environmental Action League to be composted. DEAL donated $25 to TKE’s philanthropy cause in return.
TKE Philanthropy Chair Morgan Kaponga said the chapter hopes to raise $3,000 for St. Jude this semester. As of Oct. 26, they have raised $1,013 between general donations and purchases of pumpkins and cider at Pumpkin Smash. TKE’s members are really trying to “push themselves” to raise more money this year, Kaponga said.
“Our vice president [Dayton Fleenor] said if we reach half our goal, he’ll shave his head and donate the hair to make wigs for kids with cancer,” Kaponga said.
For students who missed out on this event but still want something to smash, TKE will hold its annual Car Smash in the spring. It’s in the name — the car smashing fundraiser invites attendees to bust the windows out of a car.
