Whipcream splatter covered the concrete of the Lemieux Library Square. Last Tuesday, several club leaders stood in plastic raincoats, bracing for impact as students approached with plates of whipped cream, ready to pie them right in the face. This is the second annual Seattle U “Pie-a-President fundraiser.”
Taking place Tuesday, Feb. 18, the event is a RedhawkTHON fundraiser for Seattle Children’s Hospital. Students could pay $3 for a plate of whipped cream, or $5 for two, and then pick the club leader of their choice to pie. The event has an aspect of competition. The club that received the most pies purchased in their name by the end of the event will be announced and celebrated at Dance-A-Thon, a RedhawkTHON event later in the year.
Ella Grayzel, a third-year English and history double major at the event for Women’s Lacrosse Club, described her experience at the event being pied.
“It was awesome, my roommate did a great job, and my best friend, she really got me, I couldn’t breath for a sec, it was cool. She also did my hair,” Grayzel said, still smeared with whip cream. “It feels great doing it for a good cause.”
Naomi Pettit, a fourth-year interdisciplinary liberal studies major, helped to organize the event with RedhawkTHON. She explained that RedhawkTHON’s fundraising efforts for the children’s hospital go to the uncompensated care fund, which helps pay for what insurance won’t cover for families. They specifically fundraise for the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, a local clinic opened by the Seattle Children’s Hospital in Othello, providing affordable healthcare in a low-income area.
“We’re just starting and we’re already six tubs of cool whip in,” Pettit said, happy with the money the event had raised so far. “I think we’re doing pretty good.”
Pettit explained the experience of being pied.
“Everything smells like the texture of whip cream after, so that part’s not as great,” Pettit said. “Pieing is something that Dance Marathon programs like us really capitalized. It’s fun, it’s harmless, it’s just a fun, really easy way to fundraise.”
She is proud to be a part of events like this supporting a good cause, and spoke to RedhawkTHON’s year-long efforts fundraising for the same cause.
“We love supporting Seattle Children’s Hospital, all of our events are Seattle Children’s based. We fundraise all year for them,” Pettit said. “And to find out which club raised the most, everyone should come to Dance Marathon on May 3rd.”
Jase Kobayakawa, a fourth-year accounting major, who purchased a pie at the event, spoke to the experience overall.
“I feel like it’s really fulfilling,” Kobayakawa said. “We get to contribute to a cause while also the leaders are taking the embarrassment for a good cause, so I just feel like it’s such a nice thing to donate to.”
He described his experience pie-ing the executive secretary of the Hawaii Club as rewarding.
“I hope my donation is used effectively and I just really appreciate the opportunity to be able to donate to something like this,” Kobayakawa said.
Chayse Katada, a second-year nursing major, also participated in the Pie-a-President event.
“This event has been really fun. It’s just nice seeing familiar faces that are contributing to a cause outside of school,” Katada said.
Katada and other student attendees enjoyed the social aspect of the event. With the small size of Seattle U, many students are friends or acquaintances with a club leader who they were offered the opportunity to pie.
“Seeing my friends here is pretty awesome, because it just shows what their true character is outside of school,” Katada said.
An event like Pie-a-President is an opportunity for community engagement as well as a perfect incentive for donations to an important cause. As one of many events hosted by RedhawkTHON throughout the school year to raise funds for Seattle Children’s Hospital, this year’s Pie-a-President was highly successful. The event is one of many that work to build connections among the student body and help Seattle U support ethical causes in the broader Seattle community.
