Smiling for the camera, the cash and charity

Twenty-five members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity walked a catwalk in front of their house last night and auctioned themselves off to eager ladies. The Gentleman's Auction raised $2,305 for Push America, a national outreach program for disability awareness.

"It was a total success," said Brett Traxinger, a junior political science major, house philanthropy chair and organizer of the auction. "We raised a lot of money, everybody had fun and we furthered awareness."

The event was also sponsored by Seattle radio station KISS 106.1, which sent night DJ Long John to be the auctioneer.

The highest-bidding females bought a date with their Greek, some of which already came with a dude-date package deal. One such auctioned Greek was freshman Ben Helsel, who came with a $75 gift certificate to Ivar's and dessert at the Space Needle. He was purchased for $160. The most expensive gentleman was senior history major Leif Johnston, who was bought for $200.

Despite the night's festivities, the motive behind the auction was undeniably serious. Push America was started by Pi Kappa Phi, and all of its chapters across the country, including the UW house, fundraise for the charity year-round.

"The fact of the matter is that one in 10 people in the United States have a disability. There are so many out there that haven't been aided in the way that they should," said Traxinger.

The auction is only one of many events Pi Kappa Phi sponsors for the sake of Push America. Junior Kim Todd, president of the Kappa Delta sorority, already knew of the charity through the Empathy Dinner, a new event that the fraternity has been staging at sororities all year. At the dinner, participants are given a disability, such as an eye patch or leg brace, for the entire night.

"It was really educational. A lot of times you focus on your own philanthropies, so it was really great to learn about Push America," she said.

Todd added that the auction and dinner are just two examples of the fraternity's hard work regarding the charity.

"They really go above and beyond the call of duty. They're amazing," Todd said.

This year's Gentleman Auction was dedicated to Todd Porterhouse, a fraternity member who was killed while going the extra effort for the charity by participating in another fundraiser, the annual Journey of Hope. The journey is a bike ride from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., in which chapters from all over the nation participate. Each member must raise $4,000 for Push America and is then allowed to complete a leg of the journey. Porterhouse was three days away from finishing when he was struck by a car and killed in Lexington, N.C.

"The Empathy Dinner was Todd's idea," said Traxinger, who implemented the program after Porterhouse's death. Traxinger also said that Porterhouse was a dedicated member who always went the extra mile for the charity.

Four UW Pi Kappa Phi members will participate in the Journey of Hope this year. They are Johnston, Ian Bishop, Matt Daggett and Josh Almanza.