The gentlemen of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at Kennesaw State are encouraging you to sign up for our Third Annual Founder's 5k, on March 5th. The race will be benefiting the Pedicatric Brain Tumor Foundation - Georgia Chapter. To the Fraternity, this is much more than just a 5k or philanthropy event, it's something that we hold close to our hearts. It's to honor our Brother, Carter Haines, who passed away from a brain tumor in February of 2013.

Carter Wimberly Haines was my little brother in PIKE. He pledged (became a new member since we were still a colony at that point) in the fall of 2011 and became more involved with the fraternity. Carter was very athletic, and had played varsity soccer at Kennesaw Mountain High School," said Will Potts, a friend of Carter. "He had a great head on his shoulders, and took his classes seriously. He was not all about the partying aspect of school, which is what I think made him stand out to me. Fun was at the top of his list, but he made sure to stick to his values and what he knew was right. Carter was originally diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a type of malignant brain tumor. He had began having some vision problems after having a seizure, which led to the diagnosis after some doctor visits. Once the diagnosis was made, it was sadly a quick downfall from there. The tumor took a major toll on his body, taking someone who used to be able to run for miles without breaking a sweat, to a stage where he could barely walk on his own. This was tough to see for all of those close to him. We tried to visit as often as possible. The chapter pledged our support on the night of our Chartering Banquet, vowing to donate funds to his family through a variety of fund raisers. We took this seriously and ended up donating a few thousand dollars to the family as a way of showing our support. It was the least that we could do to show our support during the Haines’ family difficult time. When Carter passed on February 26, 2013, we all knew that he was in a better place and pain free, as hard as that was to say since we had lost a brother. We had an overwhelming showing at his funeral, as our PIKE chapter took up a significant amount of space at the church.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is a non-profit organization that relies on generous philanthropic and volunteer support. It is the world's largest nonprofit fund of childhood brain tumor research. Their mission is to eliminate the challenges of childhood brain tumors. Last year we were able to raise $23,000 for this charitable cause.

With the money they raise they are able to: fund research to find the cause of and cure for pediatric brain tumors, aid in the early detection and treatment of the disease, provide educational and emotional support for patients and families. Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death during childhood.

Brain tumor's is the most common type of pediatric cancer, and also has the highest mortality rate, three times greater than that of leukemia. About 2,000 new pediatric brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States each year. Funding to find the cure for a disease that takes the lives of many children is very low compared to other cancers.

According to The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2010, 2.16 billion dollars was spent on cancer research. Of that, 3-4% was budgeted for pediatric cancer research with less than 8% of that total specifically targeted to pediatric brain tumors. These numbers are staggering and just emphasize the importance of raising money to a cause that is not getting the attention it truly deserves.

For Sororities, we have a fun new challenge for each sorority this year! Each chapter has the opportunity to sponsor one of our brother's (of your choice) to run in whatever outfit you want them to run in. To sponsor a brother your sorority has to raise $100 to choice half of the runner's outfit and $200 to have full reign of what they wear. Every brother you sponsor after that you only have to raise $100 to have full control of their attire.

Be smart who you pick, because if your sponsored runner(s) wins out all the Pike brothers, we will donate $500 to your Sororities philanthropy! So, start thinking of which brother(s) your chapter would want to sponsor. Once you have raised money and chose who you want to sponsor, email mubeta5k@gmail.com your list.

Link to register for the race: https://runsignup.com/foundersday5k

Link to donate: http://www.gofund.me/foundersday5k-16