Harmony School benefits from ATO

Alpha Tau Omega embraced the community Saturday, welcoming Harmony School students into its home.

The event – in its second year – included ATO members and parents, students and faculty of the Harmony School.

ATO Philanthropy Co-chair junior Paul Callero said the day was about giving back.

“We wanted to get closer to the community,” he said, “so we planned an event where (the students) would walk around campus and then come back to our house where we would have festivities such as basketball and football and a three-legged race. After hanging out with the kids for about an hour, they go back to their school and finish up with a couple activities.”

Members of ATO agreed the event was beneficial to both the school and themselves.

“We did this last year with the kids,” said sophomore Patrick Kilrea. “It was a lot of fun, and they all had a really fun time when they were here. It’s nice for us to give back to the community, and it’s nice for the community to get more involved with the school.”

Mary Beth Roska, annual fund director for Harmony, said the event had a basis in a friendship between members of the fraternity and the school.

“Somebody knew somebody who knew somebody with ATO last year,” she said, “and they worked with us and they did a phenomenal job of working with our kids.”