Haunted House event raises money for Habitat for Humanity, Arthritis Foundation

Members of Lambda Chi Alpha provided students with post-Halloween scares during their annual “A Nightmare on Third Street” haunted house philanthropy event last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The haunted house was a joint effort involving the men of Lambda Chi and women of Alpha Omicron Pi.

Lambda Chi Philanthropy Chair Jeff Parker said the haunted house was a former tradition of the fraternity dating back to the early 1990s.

After a hiatus, the haunted house was brought back in 2010, when members realized the potential of the event to serve a philanthropic purpose.

Parker said increased advertising efforts and organization within the chapter allowed the event to raise about $7,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County and the Arthritis Foundation.

“It’s a good time,” Parker said. “We get to work together to put it together. We’re really proud of it. It’s usually one of the biggest philanthropies on campus.”

This year’s haunted house featured a  walk-through of a mock psychiatrist’s office complete with doctors, nurses, patients and other characters played by members of the fraternity.

Junior Lambda Chi member Mike Cody played his role both behind the scenes and in the front lines of the action.

“Each brother was responsible for selling tickets and promoting the event,” Cody said. “I went to a few sororities and spoke to them at chapter about the haunted house. Inside, I worked in various acting roles, like as the hobo back behind our house and the jabberwocky on the third floor.”

Cody said the work that goes into the planning and execution of the event is a collaborative effort by all the brothers in the house.

The planning for the haunted house was started by Parker and a committee of Lamba Chi members months in advance, and the efforts did not die down until the event officially closed at 2 a.m. Sunday morning.

Beside the work contributed by members of his chapter, Cody said he was most proud of the turnout the event has garnered in the last couple of years.

“We have people attend not only from IU but from the Bloomington community as well,” Cody said. “It’s great to see how excited people get about participating.”

Junior Caroline Billinson has attended the event since it was brought back in 2010. She said she thought this year’s production was the best yet.

“It’s different every year, but it’s cool to see what the brothers have come up with,” Billinson said. “It’s always a lot of fun.”