Written for The Argo by Esmeralda Rivera

The school year is almost over, meaning many clubs and organizations at Stockton are wrapping up their plans and hosting their last events of the year for students. For their second-to-last public event of the 2022-2023 school year, the Tri Sigma sorority hosted a dog fashion show in the Lakeside Lodge on Thursday, April 6, to support their local philanthropy Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey Township, New Jersey. Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity collaborated with the sisters to help the cause.

The purpose of this annual event is to donate money and supplies to the Popcorn Park Zoo. The zoo is an animal refuge for all kinds of species that have been rescued and rehabilitated after injury, abuse, old age, and other endangering circumstances. Students were invited to enter their pets in the fashion show or simply bring their pets as guests, mainly focusing on dogs. At the event, free snacks and drinks were available, and the women cut up tablecloths into strips so the sisters and guests could braid homemade dog toys for the zoo.

The sisters tabled throughout the week to advertise the event. One of the sisters, recently initiated member Amanda Guzman, even brought her pet bunny, Binky, on Thursday. At the Campus Center Coffeehouse, many students were attracted to the table, falling in love with the fuzzy bunny instantly. Some even got to feed the rabbit. However, Binky did not appear at the fashion show itself, since there were too many dogs around.

At the event, 5 dogs were entered into the fashion contest, ranging from members of Tri Sigma and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and even a few attendees outside the Greek organizations. They ranged from small, excited pooches to larger, fluffier friends. Guests and sisters alike spoiled the animals with pets, kisses, and compliments. During the fashion show, each owner and pet went onstage to show off their doggies to the crowd. One of the contestants, Caitlin Golden, had an extra outfit for her dog, Prim, which she showed off later. When it was voting time, the crowd’s hearts were captured by Prim since she wound up with the most votes.

Jenna Casperite, Tri Sigma’s Philanthropy chair, was responsible for the event. She commented that “$229 were raised in total for the Popcorn Park Zoo through the ticket sales and donations, and 15% of the profits went to Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s own causes.”