Walk Hard started when I was a mere Freshman at GVSU. I had just joined ATO and I was still getting used to college and meeting new people. My intent was not to join a fraternity or any student org other than the GVSU Club Hockey team. Well, turns out even club sports at GVSU are extremely competitive. As a result I sat in my dorm most of the first few weeks at Grand Valley; indulging in the wonderful world of Netflix and studying. I had not a clue what to do now. Quite frankly, I was scared. I was afraid I’d get trapped in the monotonous cycle of simply attending class only to retreat to 218 Kirkpatrick promptly afterwards. Little did I know what I would get myself into.
My then roommate and now brother, John Hardwicke, had been interested in rushing from day 1 at Grand Valley. He consistently invited me out to meet some of the guys he had been talking to, but I consistently made excuses. I thought to myself, “what if they don’t like me?” Then I’ll have nowhere to go. It took some persistence both on his part and on then active members Evan Young and Aaron Ohl. To make a long story short, I took a chance by accepting a bid from Alpha Tau Omega, which I received at virtually the last possible second during my pledge interview. This served as my last ditch effort to find my way at GV, and I believe without it I would likely not be attending Grand Valley anymore.
There is something about taking chances. Just like the individuals who I now call brothers took a chance on me, they also took a chance (a quite extraordinary one at that) on this event. They took a chance to create something life changing. They took a chance not knowing where they would end up. So, there is something about chances, something admirable, something inspiring. Taking chances led me to where I am now and led this chapter to where we are now. Without them, both I and Kappa Lambda would continue to waver when faced with adversity. But this is not the case.
I distinctly remember one of the first goals of this event being to set the bar for future philanthropic ventures at Grand Valley State University. By doing so, we would be able to create an environment where more people are taking chances, and more people are achieving success as a result of our efforts. To be part of something bigger than oneself is a trait I believe is inherent to human nature. While we continue to strive to set the bar, others have driven to do the same. So, when other fraternities and sororities model our event, or set out to beat us, we couldn’t be happier. Because they are doing things, raising money, and raising awareness for causes just as important to them as MS is to us. By doing ATO Walks Hard we have successfully created not only an environment for ourselves to thrive but for others as well.
This Walk, this cause, these people, have changed my life forever. We could not have imagined where we are today on day 1 of planning but it has changed the lives of so many people along the way. When we took that chance to create Walk Hard, when we take the chance every year to walk 160 miles, I believe we give more and more people hope. The brothers of ATO: Kappa Lambda are excited to have another successful year of fighting MS. So, if you are reading this, thank you. Thank you for supporting the cause, thank you for supporting the victims of Multiple Sclerosis. Thank you for taking a chance.
My then roommate and now brother, John Hardwicke, had been interested in rushing from day 1 at Grand Valley. He consistently invited me out to meet some of the guys he had been talking to, but I consistently made excuses. I thought to myself, “what if they don’t like me?” Then I’ll have nowhere to go. It took some persistence both on his part and on then active members Evan Young and Aaron Ohl. To make a long story short, I took a chance by accepting a bid from Alpha Tau Omega, which I received at virtually the last possible second during my pledge interview. This served as my last ditch effort to find my way at GV, and I believe without it I would likely not be attending Grand Valley anymore.
There is something about taking chances. Just like the individuals who I now call brothers took a chance on me, they also took a chance (a quite extraordinary one at that) on this event. They took a chance to create something life changing. They took a chance not knowing where they would end up. So, there is something about chances, something admirable, something inspiring. Taking chances led me to where I am now and led this chapter to where we are now. Without them, both I and Kappa Lambda would continue to waver when faced with adversity. But this is not the case.
I distinctly remember one of the first goals of this event being to set the bar for future philanthropic ventures at Grand Valley State University. By doing so, we would be able to create an environment where more people are taking chances, and more people are achieving success as a result of our efforts. To be part of something bigger than oneself is a trait I believe is inherent to human nature. While we continue to strive to set the bar, others have driven to do the same. So, when other fraternities and sororities model our event, or set out to beat us, we couldn’t be happier. Because they are doing things, raising money, and raising awareness for causes just as important to them as MS is to us. By doing ATO Walks Hard we have successfully created not only an environment for ourselves to thrive but for others as well.
This Walk, this cause, these people, have changed my life forever. We could not have imagined where we are today on day 1 of planning but it has changed the lives of so many people along the way. When we took that chance to create Walk Hard, when we take the chance every year to walk 160 miles, I believe we give more and more people hope. The brothers of ATO: Kappa Lambda are excited to have another successful year of fighting MS. So, if you are reading this, thank you. Thank you for supporting the cause, thank you for supporting the victims of Multiple Sclerosis. Thank you for taking a chance.