For Gamma Phi Beta (Gphi) and Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta), THON looks a little different this year.

They’re the first sorority/sorority organization pairing for THON, which they said has been an incredible and eye-opening experience.

“There’s been more of a sense of girlhood,” said Sofia Dimauro, Gphi’s primary chair. “We are all such a close-knit group. We became one family.”

For the past 17 years, Gphi was paired with the fraternity Acacia, sharing THON families and angels. When Acacia got suspended, Gphi was left without a partner organization and scrambled to figure out what to do next.

Dimauro, Emily Duras, and Sophie Beck, Gphi’s senior chairs, immediately started planning where they would go next. Due to many fraternities getting suspended, the girls thought, “What is the future of THON?”

When she remembered that Theta was an unpaired organization, Dimauro thought, “Why not reach out?” So she did, via a text message to Theta’s primary chair, Emma Jumpelt, and the rest was history.

Despite the new organization pairing, Gphi has maintained partnerships with their existing THON families, but has now added Theta’s families to their growing THON family. Throughout the year, their joint committees have been getting to know each other’s families, making sure that they feel welcome.

“We respect each other’s families and took in each other’s families like one big family,” Dimauro said.

During the fall, both committees came together by making posters for their THON kid, Dylan’s, football game. While they cannot see all of their THON families in person, they are constantly calling and FaceTiming them.

The two committees worked hard to bring the sororities together, brainstorming ways to fundraise and build a new community. They brought back old fundraisers like 48 miles in 48 hours and created some of their own, like decorating claw clips.

“We had a handful of girls in Theta and Gphi run the full thing together,” said Dimauro, discussing 48 in 48. “They bonded so much, and just hearing them connect and meet each other was so beautiful.”

While the pairing was different from anything done before, the connection between the two sororities quickly blossomed as the year went on. Dimauro has been involved with Gphi’s THON committee since her freshman year, and for her, watching this new organization take shape has been an incredible experience to witness.

“I got to be a part of this. I got to help bring girls together and ultimately raise money for kids with childhood cancer,” Dimauro said.

One of the best parts of this year for GAMMATHETA has been re-pairing with a prior family that had moved away. The connection between the organization and all of their THON families has been a beautiful thing to witness this year.

“Ultimately, this experience has been life-changing and beautiful,” said Dimauro. “I’m always going to cherish it, and it will stick in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Working in an all-girls environment has made everything much easier for the sororities. Dimauro explained that there is constant communication among the members, and it is rare that a day goes by without communication.

“We are all just so driven for the mission of THON, and ultimately, that was what really got us meshing so well. At the end of the day, why we THON was most important. That’s what brought us together.”

Looking forward to THON Weekend, Dimauro is most excited to see all of GAMMATHETA’s hard work pay off and the impact they have made.

“Going from strangers to now a family fighting for a cause that’s so huge and impactful towards our THON families is so incredible.”