Theta Chi fraternity brothers sell pins, shave heads to benefit American Heart Association

Theta Chi hopes to raise awareness and funds for heart disease research this month by selling pins, continuing an annual philanthropy project that started five years ago after a brother lost his father to heart disease.
    The proceeds from the red dress pins sold by fraternity brothers will go to Theta Chi's national charity organization, the American Heart Association (AHA). The men began selling pins for $5 a piece this week.
    The Tufts Theta Chi chapter began raising money for the AHA in 2004, after brother lost his father to heart disease.
    "He brought the AHA to the house, and every year we've sold pins to raise money," said David Friedman, one of Theta Chi's philanthropy chairs and a former chapter president.
    The brother, Ben Rubinstein (LA '05), told the Daily in 2006 that it seemed only natural to suggest supporting the AHA.
    "My father was a cardiologist who was very active raising money and promoting advocacy for the AHA," he said. "He passed away my freshman year at Tufts, and I took on a fundraising role afterwards, trying to fill at least some of that gap."
    The money the brothers raise this year will go specifically to the AHA's national "Go Red For Women," which aims to increase awareness of heart disease in women. Heart disease is the leading killer of women in the United States.
    The drive is part of a larger push to raise money during for AHA that the brothers participate in annually.
    "Last year, we hosted a red party where we accepted donations and gave out food and asked people to wear red, and depending on how much we raised some of the brothers shaved their heads," Theta Chi Social Chair Danny Wittels, a sophomore, said.
    Theta Chi brothers went through dorms on campus last night, selling the pins to residents. They raised $300, and were planning on going back to dorms last night and tonight, Friedman, a senior, said yesterday.
    The fraternity will continue to sell the pins at Dewick-MacPhie and Carmichael Dining Halls next week, and brothers will set up a booth in the Mayer Campus Center later this month, Friedman said.
    "We're going to set up a booth … and for every increment of $100 another brother will shave his head," he added. The group hopes the shaved heads will raise both awareness and cash, as they have in the past.
    Last year, the fraternity collected about $2,000. Theta Chi President Brendan Blaney, a sophomore, said the group set a goal of $3,000 for this year.
    Since 2005, Theta Chi has raised nearly $8,000 for the AHA, according to Friedman.
    The AHA campaign will be Theta Chi's second philanthropy project this year; the fraternity held a "Toys for Tots" drive in December.
    For that project, the brothers worked with the U.S. Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, which aims to distribute toys to needy children.
    That campaign was not very successful, though, according to brothers, due to the last-minute nature by which it was set up.
    "It wasn't as well-publicized as we would've hoped," Theta Chi's Public Relations Chair Ed Chao, a sophomore, said. "Next time, we're going to have more publicity, we're going to get the word out a little bit more."
    The fraternity is also planning a charity dodgeball tournament and Boston Red Sox ticket raffle for later this spring.
Ben Gittleson contributed reporting to this article.