Rock-A-Thon begins mission to raise thousands for American Cancer Society

Rock-A-Thon Banner

BY ALEC BARIS, DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Missouri’s Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity is not missing a beat and will still host its Rock-A-Thon philanthropy on Thursday, Apr. 15, according to a statement released Wednesday.

Since 1969, the men of Alpha Epsilon Pi at Mizzou have designated one member to rock in a chair for 63 hours in downtown Columbia, to raise money for the American Cancer Society. 

Other members of the fraternity will take to the streets of the city, collecting donations in cans and spreading awareness of the organization.

(All members of AEPi’s Rock-a-Thon will be masked and separated across the city to follow social distancing guidelines.)

Members of AEPi have raised more than $1 million for various charities over the past 50 years.

This year, Rock-A-Thon will highlight lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among men and women, resulting in almost 25% of all cancer deaths.

“This is more than just a fraternity raising money, this is a group of men coming together to make a difference in a fight we all want to one day beat,” said Brian Carter, this year’s designated rocker.

According to the statement, members of AEPi said they hope that, despite the ongoing pandemic, they can still make a difference and spread the word.

“We’ll be working at every hour, every minute and every second of the day reminding the great people of Columbia that their donation can help save lives,” said Jacob Resnick, a chairman of the fundraiser. “This is about something that every single person is impacted by in one way or another, our goal is to make a difference.”

For more information about AEPi Rock-A-Thon, please visit https://mizzourockathon.com/