By John Evanko

The Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Chi fraternities will be hosting the
first annual “CamSlam” to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society.
The event, which will be a home run derby, was named after
Sigma Phi Epsilon member, Cameron Eldridge, who was diagnosed with
Leukemia in fall of 2008.
Rather than getting down about his diagnosis, Eldridge took the bad
news with a positive attitude.
“I was sort of upset about it,” Eldridge said. “But really, I was just
like, ‘This is just another step in life.'”
Eldridge began his chemotherapy treatment in September. Many of his
fraternity brothers showed their support by shaving their heads during
his treatment.
Eldridge, now in his second year at the University of Louisville, is in remission, but still
dealing with the effects of battling cancer for nearly six months.
Although technically cancer free, Eldridge is still on chemotherapy
treatment to stay that way, and is not back to 100 percent.
During his treatment, Eldridge had many leukemia survivors come by the
hospital to visit him, many of whom he did not even know. He took the
generosity to heart, and now feels obliged to give back.
What is the first step in that direction? 
The CamSlam.
The event was originally scheduled for March 31, but was postponed due to
inclement weather. Eldridge and everyone else in charge hopes to do it on Sun., April 19, although that date has not been confirmed.
The event will be held at Jim Patterson Stadium, with an expected 25
hitters attempting to send tennis balls over the fence.
Organizations must donate at least $50 to enter a participant in the home run derby,
and there will be two winners. One winner will be the organization whose
participant hits the most home runs, and the other will be the
organization which raises the most money. Each winner will receive free
Grand Slams from Denny’s for an entire year in addition to a Nintendo
Wii.
Money will also be raised when participants purchase a $5 ticket; which includes entry into the event, a t-shirt, and food. This fee will go toward the organization being supported.
With all the prizes, food, and fun, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Sigma Chi
are optimistic about how much money will be raised.
“We are hoping to raise at least $2000,” Colton Boehm, Sigma Chi member,
said. “We’re happy with how much we’ve already raised but we’re hoping
for more.”
Although the event’s primary focus is to raise money for the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society, Eldridge feels that everyone is going to benefit
from the event.
“We want to bring Greek life together. Sigma Chi and Sig Ep doing this
together is a really good thing,” Eldrdge said. “Also, we want this to
be a good event for everyone on campus.”
For Eldridge, CamSlam is only the first of many ways he plans to give
back in the future. He plans to head up a team for Relay for Life in
May, but most importantly, he wants to do exactly what others did for
him while he was in the hospital.
“There are going to be people who get diagnosed with Leukemia,” Eldridge
said. “I want to be in the hospital with them for at least a day,
introducing myself and just making sure they have a good attitude about
it, which is what others did for me.”
Until then, the focus remains on CamSlam. With over 20 hitters already
signed up and many others expected to come out for support, their goals
should be easily accomplished, providing a good foundation for the event
in years to come.
“We don’t want this to be just another one of those events. We want this
to be something awesome that we can add onto and make better every year,”
Eldridge said. “Just because it’s called ‘CamSlam’ doesn’t mean it
should stop when I’m out of college.”