Written by Alyson Haslet ~ Guest Writer
On Sunday, April 23rd, Phi Kappa Tau hosted the second annual Sean Williams Memorial Volleyball Tournament in remembrance of their late brother.
Photo taken by CeVonte Jones.
Last year, the brothers had the idea of a memorial volleyball tournament to fundraise for a memorial plaque to be placed in Sean’s honor, as well as donate to a men’s mental health organization, Movember.
As the two-year anniversary of William’s passing approaches in May, the brothers of Phi Kappa Tau continued with the annual memorial tournament and donated their proceeds to Movember.
Kyle Deedman, the philanthropy chair for Phi Kappa Tau planned this year’s tournament saying,“Our chapter raised money [for this event] with the food that we provided and the team sign ups. The other way was through shirt sales.”
Photo taken by Sydney McGuire.
Supporters from across the campus community came together to enjoy food, watch the players and participate in the tournament.
Deedman explained how special this event is to their chapter saying, “We had a brother, Sean Williams who committed suicide here on campus and this event is basically to bring Phi Tau’s, alum and undergrads together with others from Greek life and just everyone to get closer together and celebrate life and just enjoy the day.”
This year, there were 20 teams who participated in the tournament, and out of the 20, Seth Hall and Emile Paindavoine emerged the winners.
With the 20 teams and large turn-out for the event, the brothers were able to raise $444 to be donated to Movember.
Photo via phitau_lynchburg on Instagram.
The memorial event allowed the campus community to have fun in light of the tragic circumstances. It contributed to the conversation about men’s mental health and continuing to host this memorial event, the brothers of Phi Kappa Tau have ensured that Sean’s name will not be forgotten at the University of Lynchburg and his legacy will live on.
For more information about men’s mental health and how to spot signs in a struggling loved one, visit https://us.movember.com/mens-health/spot-the-signs.