Valhalla to Benefit Tornado Victims

THETA ETA (North Alabama) — At their annual Viking-themed party, Valhalla, members of Alpha Tau Omega at the University of North Alabama will raise money for students and professors who were affected by the April 27 tornadoes, said Chance McCullough (North Alabama ’11), ATO public relations chairman.

The party, which begins Friday at 9 p.m., is substance free, meaning no alcohol, tobacco or narcotics are allowed, McCullough said. Though admission is free, he said, T-shirts will be sold in hopes of reaching a goal of $2,500 to donate to UNA’s Caring for the Pride fund, which disperses donations to students and professors who have a need because of the April storm.

“We always pick a philanthropy to donate to, and we never use the same one,” McCullough said. “We thought we’d use one that affected everybody on campus, and everybody was affected by the tornadoes in one way or another.”

Austin Smith (North Alabama ’10), ATO special events coordinator, said he’s been working on the event since early August, planning which bands would play and how funds would be raised.

“One thing that we try to do is make a big difference in our community and on campus,” he said. “The biggest thing that happened recently was the tornadoes, so we tried to help with that.

“My roommate was even affected by the tornado, so the fact that we can help people in those situations is awesome,” he said.

Hannah Mask can be reached at 256-740-5728 or hannah.mask@TimesDaily.com.