Alpha Delta Pi held their annual philanthropy pageant, planned by Julia Tipper, the vice president of philanthropy for ADPI on April 2, 2024.​​ This pageant is a fun way for ADPI to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Macon, Georgia. 

The event was hosted by the president of ADPI, Meadow Etheridge, and another ADPI member, Madelyn Poss. They cracked jokes and introduced the wonderful contestants of the night.

“It took months of planning,” Tipper, a sophomore exercise science major, said. “We started off by designing the T-shirts and just thinking about the event and all that we wanted to have a part of, and then we started reaching out to the different sororities and fraternities to get contestants. For the event, I was in charge of everything. I wrote the script, reached out to people to sign up for the event and then worked backstage alongside my roommates.”

There were 14 contestants: seven girls and seven boys. There were also three judges, who judged their answers and talents to make a final decision on who should win queen and king of diamonds.  The first thing they did was introduce themselves and explain how they represented the queen and king of diamonds. 

Next, they showed off their unique talents. The list of talents included singing, deadlifting, twirling, keyboard, the Dougie, violin, electric guitar, the triangle, acoustic guitar and even a man egging his brother from inside a trash can and referring to it as “pure magic.” 

“I started playing guitar last July and have worked every day since then,” said Reese Hadden, a sophomore management major. “It was awesome to show off that talent.”

Lastly, they were asked to pull random questions and answer them as best they could onstage. They were asked silly questions like “If you were a food, what would you be?” or “If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?”

Then, as the audience waited in suspense for the judges to determine the queen and king of diamonds, the banner and pop-tab winners were announced first. Every sorority and fraternity decorated a banner, and the judges chose which one was best. They also all donated pop tabs to The Ronald McDonald House, and a winner was chosen based on who donated the most. 

The banner winners were Pi Kappa Alpha and Delta Zeta. The pop-tab winners were also Pi Kappa Alpha and Delta Zeta. 

Next, the audience got to enjoy a video on the Ronald Mcdonald House of Central Georgia and its impact on ADPI. 

According to Ronald Mcdonald House Charities, a Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families to call home so they can stay close to their hospitalized child at little to no cost. They believe that “home” is more than four walls and a roof over your head. That is why every Ronald McDonald House is a haven for families with children in the hospital. It provides all the comforts of home, plus the compassion of staff, volunteers and other families, all just steps away from the hospital.

“For me, it’s really important because our philanthropy is really special to me,” Tipper said. “And being able to raise money and help such a great charity is really special.”

Lastly was the big reveal of this year’s king and queen of diamonds. This year’s king of diamonds was Hadden who represented Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), and the queen of diamonds was GracieLane Bray, who represented Alpha Gamma. 

“It feels good to have won,” Hadden said. “It was really fun. I enjoyed it and had a good time. I am thankful for the opportunity. It means a lot to have won king. I am happy to have won with the ATO logo on. It is awesome.”

The queen was just as grateful.

“It feels so amazing to have won,” Bray, a junior early education major, said. “I put so much dedication and effort into my routine and preparation for this pageant. I am so happy and proud of myself and all of the other candidates. To me, it is an opportunity to represent myself well on campus and bring more awareness to ADPI’s philanthropy. Blood, sweat and tears went into this pageant. I’ve been practicing for a month, and it’s been a great distraction from school. It’s even taught me dedication and effort.”

ADPI raised over $5,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Central Georgia.