Linen palaces: Sororities build blanket forts for charity

One might have mistaken the Bellefield Hall gym for a massive slumber party Saturday afternoon, as sorority members rushed to build blanket forts for philanthropy. 

Sigma Chi hosted its fourth annual Wrap Up America event for charity Saturday at noon in the Bellefield Hall gym. About 400 sorority sisters competed to build blanket forts after having about a month before the event to obtain the most blanket donations. In addition to Sigma Chi, eleven other Pitt sororities participated in the event. 

The forts were constructed along the walls of the gym. Two were connected to the basketball hoops, giving them extra height and support. The forts were closer in resemblance to houses and featured a plethora of colors and designs. A few of the brothers from Sigma Chi coached each sorority. 

Participants constructed the forts using cardboard boxes, PVC pipes and duct tape in addition to the blankets. Eight forts varying in height from 7 to 15 feet outlined the small gym. To earn extra originality points, some sororities used white christmas lights. One sorority used only animal print blankets for their fort in the corner of the gym.

As the judges examined the forts, each sorority received 30 seconds to introduce its forts. Before the judges reached it, part of Chi Omega’s fort collapsed. The sorority sisters hurried to straighten out the flattened section before the judges reached them.

Theta Phi Alpha, the overall winner of the event, was awarded an engraved trophy because it donated more blankets than any other sorority with 693.

Sigma Sigma Sigma won the category for best structure with its fort. Delta Zeta won the category for most appeal, and Gamma Sigma Sigma won for originality.

The sororities were judged by Michael Seiler, alumnus and past president of the fraternity; John Dougherty, alumnus and past vice president; Chris Clemson, philanthropy chair of Sigma Chi; and Trevor Joelson, president of Wrap Up America, the national charity organization responsible for organizing the event. The judges selected winners based on the number of blankets they donated, how many members attended the event and fort quality. Fort quality was based on appeal, structure and originality.

Ben Gentile, a junior finance major and member of Sigma Chi, helped organize the event. He said they would donate the blankets to the Salvation Army.

“It’s an opportunity on a Saturday to get 400 people together to have a lot of fun and work toward a good cause,” Gentile said, adding that his favorite part was beating their goal of 3,000 blankets.

With a total of 3,300 blankets, Pitt’s Wrap Up America not only broke last year’s record of 2,400 blankets, but also donated more blankets to the Salvation Army than other participating schools, Clemson said. 

Other schools that held the event through Wrap Up America include the Universities of Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Dayton and Toledo.

As a judge, Clemson, a junior political science and economics major, was responsible for ordering the blankets with the money raised and reserving the Bellefield gym for the event.

Members hope for an even higher turnout and amount of blanket donations at next year’s event.

“We’re setting national goals and beating them each year,” Justin Blazer, a junior computer science major and the president of Sigma Chi, said.

Blazer and Gentile hope to include students not involved with Greek life in the future. 

“The main thing we want to improve aside from getting more blankets is to extend it beyond Greek life,” Blazer said.

Emily Kindt, a senior marketing and economics major, was working on a banner for her sorority’s fort, which spelled Chi Omega in duct tape.

“It’s always a good time,” Kindt said. “Everyone gets really creative.”