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Canadian Tekes Go Homeless for Quebec's Physically Disabled
MONTREAL) – Members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Kappa-Chi chapter at
Concordia University lived in boxes and begged on the streets of
Montreal, benefiting the Action Centre, a drop-in day care facility
for the physically disabled.
Raising over $4000 for the Action Centre, Kappa-Chi Tekes are in
their 12th year of the annual "TEKE IN A BOX" philanthropy. Over
the history of the event, several area charities have benefited from
the giving of TKE members and the Montreal community.
"[The Action Centre] is a place where these individuals are taught
various skills and develop a sense of self-esteem and usefulness in
society. They receive absolutely no government funding," said Brent
Thomas Gerchicoff, Kappa-Chi Chaplain.
Each year, the members sleep outside for 36 hours in a shelter built
of wood, cardboard and other debris that can be found on the street.
The Kappa-Chi members panhandle during this period of time around
the streets and near the campus at Concordia University.
"TEKE IN A BOX" was originally created by the chapter to help
homeless youth of Montreal find a new path so that one day they may
return to a more stable environment. On any given night, many of
the homeless youth who benefited from Kappa-Chi's efforts could be
found panhandling or living on the streets, often choosing the
streets over an abusive home environment.
"We at Kappa-Chi believe that our charity drive is the best way to
dispel the stereotypes and misconceptions of fraternities on campus
and in the Montreal community," said Gerchicoff, "I am constantly
proud of my brothers in their dedication. It makes a Frater proud to
wear the TKE letters when I see my fellow Brothers running around
for spare change for this event."
With the assistance of local media, other fraternities on campus and
the Montreal community, the charity drive is always met with great
support and generosity from both the students and the general
public. "Other organizations, such as Delta Phi Epsilon always drop
by with hot chocolate to keep us warm," Gerchicoff said.
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