SHAVE the 'Stache! VS. SAVE the 'Stache!
In 2006, Ralph Saroyan donated $10,000 to establish an endowment for the benefit of the Brothers of Phi Delta Chi. Thanks to the generous support of ΦΔΧ and our Brothers, the endowment is now over $1.25 million. This fund is used to support our Brothers through the Achievement Awards program, grants, and scholarships. In 2022, PLEI distributed nearly $25,000 in support of our ΦΔΧ Brothers.
To further grow our support of the fraternity, we want to raise $25,000 by Grand Council 2024. Ralph has graciously agreed to shave off his mustache – or keep it – you get to help decide!
Unless you knew Ralph in 1970, you have never seen him without his mustache. In the summer of 1970, Ralph went on a two-week retreat and skipped shaving. When he returned from the wilderness and looked in the mirror, he liked the dapper face looking back at him and the mustache has been there ever since!
Now you get to help decide! Are you Team SHAVE or Team SAVE? Whichever team raises the most money gets to decide the fate of Ralph’s glorious mustache!
There is only one thing that will get Ralph to shave and that is his love for Phi Delta Chi and PLEI. But that love comes at a price! The price is $25,000. So now we ask the question…
Can we count on you for a donation to the PLEI Endowment Fund to support our Phi Delta Chi fraternity?
You may make a one-time donation or create a recurring donation through the “SHAVE the ‘Stache” or the “SAVE the ‘Stache!” button.
If you have any questions, please reach out to PLEI at [email protected] or 734-564-1367.
Thank you for your support!
SHAVE the 'Stache! VS. SAVE the 'Stache!
You may make a one-time donation or create a recurring donation through the DONATE button above. If you have any questions, please reach out to PLEI at [email protected] or 734-564-1367.
Thank you for your support!
A special note from Ralph:
Most people who know me think I’ve had a mustache all my adult life. That is not the case. During my days in the Army National Guard, I never shaved during the annual two-week summer camps. During the summer of 1970, upon my return to work after two weeks at Camp Roberts, I decided to save the beard but keep the mustache. The following Monday when I return to work, I asked the ladies at the pharmacy if I should let it grow or shave it; they all agreed that I keep it.
The following day, I received a call from Dean Ivan Rowland at the University of the Pacific offering me a faculty position as Pacific’s first Director of Pharmacy Student Guidance and the first experiential learning coordinator, now known as IPPE. Leaving pharmacy practice and coming back to my alma mater was a defining moment in my life and my career.
Had I not accepted the position in Pacific’s new accelerated three-year program, I probably would not have been deeply involved in Phi Delta Chi Fraternity and its 25th Grand President, nor would I have become the President of the California Pharmacists Association. My little mustache has been with me ever since that defining career change; I’ve never shaved it since.
So, the idea of shaving it has never crossed my mind until now. Then when Nancy Alvarez and Michael Negrete visited me my first night at the Fairmont Rehabilitation Hospital and suggested that I shave it for a PLEI fundraiser, my initial reaction was NEVER. But at a weak moment that night, I decided that the Fraternity has given me so much that shaving it was a small thank you….
Contributions to PLEI, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation (EIN#58-22969988) are tax deductible. Contributors will receive an acknowledgment for tax purposes. Please consult your tax preparer for additional information.