One of Tri Sigma's philanthropies is the Robbie Page Memorial Foundation or RPM. It supports therapeutic play for hospitalized children. Play is a natural part of childhood, helping kids develop the skills needed to deal with anxiety and social situation, tap into their creativity, and learn from experiences. Play therapy is used in children's hospitals to help both children and their families deal with the scary experience of long-term hospital stays, by offering them a natural outlet to process their situation.
This foundation was founded by Tri Sigma's 4th national president after her son, Robbie Page was diagnosed with polio. After a vaccination was discovered for the disease, the foundation moved to support therapeutic play.
On Saturday, September 17th, Tri Sigma's Zeta Kappa chapter at Montclair State held our first, of hopefully many, 5K and family fun walk to raise money for the Robbie Page Memorial foundation. After months of sharing the registration link, there were nearly 150 people signed up to participate in the run and walk collectively. The event was held at the Clipper Pavilion in West Orange, New Jersey, which is adjacent to the Turtle Back Zoo. With the cost of registration, participants received admission into the zoo for the day. Runners and walkers, respectively ran and walked the course that wrapped around the entire reservoir and bordered the train tracks from the zoo.
Volunteers lined the reservoir handing out water bottles and another took charge of timing the runners, while more were available to greet the participants with t shirts and race bibs. While waiting for the race to start or cooling down after they were finished, runners and walkers alike made colorful greeting cards to be donated to a local children's hospital. The goal was to help the racers feel more connected to the cause they were running for.
Overall, the Zeta Kappa chapter raised over $3,000 dollars for the Robbie Page Memorial Foundation at our 5K! It is an accomplishment we are very proud of. We hope to keep raising more funds to support such a great cause that we are all passionate about.
