The Alpha Mu chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity had its annual Tour de Tau fundraiser on March 15th, 2025. Based on the Tour de France, the brothers of ATO split into two teams and used exercise bikes to race against each other. The goal of Tour de Tau is to raise funds that contribute to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association in honor and memory of their late alumni Jack Vivian. After an eighteen-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Brother Vivan passed away on February 17, 2021. Only a few months later the first Tour de Tau was hosted, with the idea of donating to Parkinson’s in Brother Vivian’s memory coming from now alumni Garrett Schermerhorn.
Any donations given during the event go towards finding a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. While a person could just donate money, certain punishments were created to hinder the biking progress of the teams. Punishments included, pies to the face, bat spins, jump squats, an apparel wheel, and a detour bike. Both the Yellow and Blue teams were bombarded with punishments throughout their shifts due to the many generous donations. There were multiple ways to donate, including online and in-person. In-person donations received a discounted price for the punishments that were given to the bikers. Some bikers faced the extreme end of punishments. Junior Kyle McKay received a total of thirty-two pies to the face. Freshman Xander Yeager and Senior Logan Pennock each received one-hundred-and-twenty bat spins. Sophomores Matthew Beutler and Matthew Ridenour-Rogers each personally chose to shave their heads after receiving large donations.
While the set goal of $6,000 was not reached, ATO raised an astounding $3,711, with the Yellow team winning the race with 175.62 miles, with the Blue team not far behind with 158.76 miles. The top donation was sent from William Buffkin with a very generous amount of $500. Coming up in the Fall semester, ATO has another well-known philanthropy event: Egg-A-Tau. During Egg-A-Tau people can donate money to egg the Brothers during Homecoming weekend. Proceeds for this event go to First Descents which is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing life-changing outdoor adventures for young adults affected by cancer or other serious health conditions.
Alpha Tau Omega’s President Matthew Fletcher stated, “Tour de Tau has been a tradition that lights a fire underneath the Brotherhood for many years. Our late Brother, Jack Vivian, battled Parkinson’s Disease and unfortunately passed away in 2021. The Alpha Mu Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega continues to do Tour de Tau in his name, raising awareness and donations to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association in the hopes of helping to find a cure…Tour de Tau is a big reason why the Brothers and the Chapter as an organization does philanthropy in the first place. Parkinson’s Disease is something that hits home for many of us, and strives us to bring our friends and family close through hosting an event to inspire others to donate.”
Tour de Tau will be back next Spring Semester, so come out and sabotage the brothers as they bike even more miles for Parkinson’s research in memory of Brother Vivian.
