Alpha Delta hosts student-faculty tournament court to build wells in Zimbabwe

Have you ever sat in class listening to your professor and wondered, “How would they do in a 3v3 basketball game right now?”

On November 13, 2024, Lipscomb Social Club Alpha Delta helped answer this question. The club and its founding members hosted a basketball tournament where two students teamed up with a faculty member to face off against one of the six other participating teams. Games were played to 21 points and followed a single-elimination format until one team emerged victorious.

The event offered more than just basketball. Attendees enjoyed free catering from Panda Express and participated in a raffle with prizes, including a top prize of a $135 JBL speaker. Raffle tickets cost $5, and all proceeds supported a charitable cause.

Ben Bolz, a founding member of Alpha Delta, a junior Molecular Biology major from Littleton, Colorado, and a key player on the championship team shared how the club connected to the charity and what inspired the event.

“Massive win for the team, massive win for the charity,” Bolz said. “My good buddy Trey went to Zimbabwe over the summer, and he was helping out at a hospital. We figured out they needed a well close by.”

As part of the event, Alpha Delta pledged to use the proceeds to help fund the construction of a well for a community in Zimbabwe reliant on groundwater for survival.

Trey Haralson, also a founding member and junior Molecular Biology major from Seattle, Washington, spoke about his connection to this community and his motivation to lead his brotherhood to raise money for this community.

“A few people in my church back home go to this hospital [over the summer]. It’s called Chidamoyo Church of Christ Hospital in Zimbabwe,” Haralson explained. “I volunteered over the summer, and when I got there, I found out they’ve been in a two-year drought. The people there are very poor and basically rely on the weather for their livelihood—just growing corn, because that’s the only thing they can eat. But if you don’t have water, then you don’t have corn, and you can’t [survive].”

Haralson noted that the community depends on underwater streams, which made building a well a critical project.

Alpha Delta set a modest goal of raising $500 to pay for a motor for the well and planned to continue raising funds for its full construction, estimated to cost $10,000. The group exceeded expectations, raising $1,012 in their first event.

Reflecting on the outcome, Haralson said, “I can’t really put into words how thankful I am to have that much raised, but it’ll really go to a good cause. I’m just really thankful for all the generous donors.”

The event also created memorable moments for participants, including families. Dr. Jeff Todd, a professor of Anatomy and Physiology, joined the tournament at the request of his son, a Lipscomb student.

“I played with my son. He asked me to play—it was great. I always enjoy spending time with him,” Todd said. “We talked about it, and if they do it again next year, I’m ready for it.”

An encore event seems likely, as Haralson expressed excitement about the possibility of hosting another tournament.

“I definitely would want to do it again. It was a great event,” he said. “I think we’ll honestly just do this event over. I think it’s a great idea, but this is our first time doing it, so there’s a ton of stuff we can do better. We basically did everything two weeks in advance, so if we roll it out again [having the format down], it’ll go a lot smoother. We may even do it over in the spring because we had a good turnout and great support from the clubs, athletes, and everyone who played.”

“I Definitely would want to do it again, it was a great event… I think we’ll honestly just do this event over, I think it’s a great idea but this is our first time doing it so there’s a ton of stuff we can do better… We basically did everything two weeks in advance so I think if we roll it out again [having the format down] it’ll go a lot smoother, we may even do it over in the spring because we had a good turnout and great support from the clubs and athletes and everyone that played.” 

Bolz agreed, saying, “The goal is to get it yearly. We want it to be an event that the whole school can go to. Hopefully renting out Allen [Arena] in the future. It’s cool that everyone was generous and made it happen.”

Alpha Delta’s leadership is clearly looking to grow this event into a major part of Lipscomb student life while continuing their philanthropic mission. Time will tell if they can capture the attention of a larger audience and establish this tournament as a lasting tradition.