Rock-A-Thon, a biennial fundraiser, ran from April 23 to 25 and raised $132,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Rock-A-Thon co-chairmen Mason Bikshorn and Joshua Aroesty organized the event and said they are excited about the record, but any amount would have been an accomplishment.

“Everybody looks at the final number, but what it comes down to is that $132,000 is an aggregate of 50-cent donations, $1 donations or $5 donations,” Aroesty said. “If you can raise even $10,000 for the American Cancer Society, or any other philanthropic organization, you are doing an incredible thing.”

Although other AEPi chapters in America do some form of Rock-A-Thon, none have been as successful as MU’s chapter. The proceeds from the Rock-A-Thons go to different philanthropies for each chapter, and this created tension between MU AEPi and their national organization.

According to Bikshorn, national AEPi has tried to obtain some of MU’s proceeds for their own philanthropy instead of giving it to the American Cancer Society.

“They have come to us personally and said, ‘Give us Rock-A-Thon’ or ‘Give us five or ten percent of Rock-A-Thon to our national philanthropy,'” Bikshorn said.