The Texas A&M chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity has partnered with College Hills Baptist Church to tutor kids from kindergarten through 12th grade. Entering its second semester with the church, the fraternity has raised $6,000 for the College Hills Scholarship Fund.
99tutors.com CEO Detrick Eaton said he reached out to Kappa Sigma about the opportunity to give back to the community in a unique way.
“This is a different kind of philanthropy that the brothers are serving,” Eaton said. “With philanthropies like Big Event, groups serve one day out of the year. These young men are making a commitment to show up once a week, every week, to help these kids succeed academically. I reached out to Craig [Staples] and he was thrilled to accept.”
Kappa Sigma members tutor the students in the church’s parish hall on Thursdays for an hour from 6-7 p.m. Kappa Sigma President and finance senior Craig Staples said he was delighted to accept the philanthropy opportunity.
“When Detrick [Eaton] reached out to me about the opportunity, I knew it would be something Kappa Sig[ma] could continue year after year,” Staples said. “It’s great getting to leave an impact on these kids and form connections with them as a mentor.”
Staples will soon step down from his one-year term as president after the fall 2022 semester. The fraternity is ready to pass off details and logistics of the partnership and fundraising to new leadership, Staples said.
“All exec[utive]s in Kappa Sig[ma] serve one-year terms,” Staples said. “I made sure to talk to the new leadership coming in and they’re ready to continue this partnership after I step down as President. We are going to continue tutoring these kids every week during the school year.”
Eaton said he wanted to highlight the mentorship in addition to tutoring the brothers’ offer.
“Another way this partnership differs from other philanthropies is that the students are going to grow up alongside the guys,” Eaton said. “The guys offer lessons that stem not only from the classroom but from life too.”
Kappa Sigma endowed College Hills Baptist Church with students who regularly attend College Hills church service, regularly attend weekly tutoring and plan to attend college are eligible to receive up to a $1000 scholarship from the church’s scholarship fund, Eaton said.
“Seniors fill out an application to be considered for the scholarship,” Eaton said. “The application consists of a series of questions and essays. This money can make a serious difference in the lives of scholarship recipients who have been accepted into college. [Kappa Sigma] has made it much more possible for these students to achieve success.”
Two Kappa Sigma brothers in particular have committed an outstanding commitment to the weekly tutoring service, Staples said.
“Brian Faske and Ben Gottfried, these are two guys that have shown up and shown out,” Staples said. “They’ve dedicated a tremendous amount of time to these kids each week, forming a connection with any student they tutor or mentor.”
