90s singers, gods and goddesses and even Miley Cyrus were present on the Lipscomb University campus the night of Oct. 23.
Phi Sigma hosted its 10th annual Phi Sigma Date Auction, and students were excited about the night. The event is hosted with a charity in mind, and this year the proceeds from the event went to Thistle Farms.
Thistle Farms is a social enterprise group that is run by the women that stay in the Magdalene House. The women create natural body and bath products and sell them. They create products that are both good for the environment and for the people that use the products.
“We were able to do a great thing for a great cause,” Sarah Robertson, the date auction director, said.
Robertson was in charge of the event, and is very involved with the mission of Thistle Farms. Thistle Farms ultimate goal is to give women who are on the streets a second chance by providing a healthy place to stay and work. The money made on the products goes directly back to the women who made them. Thistle Farms products are now sold in over 200 stores around Tennessee.
Phi Sigma puts on the date auction in hopes of raising money to help other women be added into Thistle Farms. They do so in a fun way, with each group dressing up in a different theme, and then members of the audience bid on the participants.
“Date auction is fun because all of the social clubs come out and support,” Savannah Pickens, the host for the evening, said. “The process of being host was really spur of the moment, but it was cool to come up here and wing it.”
All of the clubs in Greek life sent representatives, and each club donated funds. The clubs then spent time working on their outfits and themes for the auction.
“It took us about three weeks to get everything together,” said Robertson, “My favorite part of the night was seeing everyone have fun, and knowing that the money was going somewhere worthwhile.”
The night ended on an incredibly positive note, with the auction raising $2,020 overall. The money is going to make it possible for two new women to be sponsored to join the Thistle Farms program.