Nursing Society Sponsors Teeter-Totter-A-Thon in Honor of President Myers

April 18, 2003

On Friday, April 11, members of Alpha Tau Delta Professional Nursing Fraternity, a service honors nursing organization, sponsored a “Teeter-Totter-A-Thon” to raise funds for lung cancer in honor of Illinois Wesleyan President Minor Myers jr., who is undergoing treatment for the disease.

The event raised $1,000, which Alpha Tau Delta donated to the Community Cancer Clinic.

The nursing society adopted the idea for the Teeter-Totter-A-Thon after two students saw a similar event take place at Bradley University in Peoria. “When President Minor Myers jr. was diagnosed with cancer, we felt that this would be an appropriate gesture of support,” said Kristin DeMeyer, a senior nursing major from Grayslake, Ill., and president of Alpha Tau Delta.

Nursing students built the teeter-totter by hand and carried it to the lawn across from the Shirk Center, where the event took place. Participants could ride the totter from 12 p.m. on Friday until 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

DeMeyer described the community response to the Teeter-Totter-A-Thon as “overwhelming.” IWU nursing faculty came out to totter, along with community members and fellow students. According to DeMeyer, “Even reporters and Senator (Bill) Brady (R-Bloomington) came out to support the cause.”