Update, August 11, 2013:
Thank you all for your extraordinarily generous support. It is so heartening for us working to sustain Phi Rho to see that so many alumni and friends cherish this community as dearly as we do. We have been working and planning tirelessly on multiple fronts to secure the future of our community and home. We have already begun to see results and accordingly we have amended our projection of Phi Rho's immediate needs.
The remaining operations budget deficit and expenses related to the purchase and installation of security features closes our total shortfall to approximately $45,000. The fundraising goal on this page has been updated to reflect the successes in all areas of our efforts to sustain our beloved community, including over $12,000 of our need met by your generous donations as of this update. Thank you once again for your generosity. It is sincerely appreciated by every student who will retain a secure home and loving community for the upcoming year at Phi Rho.
Original Message, August 2, 2013:
On July 24, 2013, our friend and fellow student Paul DeWolf was found dead in his room after missing work that morning. A police investigation has revealed that he was the victim of a homicide. As of today we do not know the full details of this crime. News coverage is available at www.annarbor.com. This unspeakable tragedy has upended our lives and thrown our fraternity into a financial crisis.
Paul DeWolf was an aspiring surgeon in his final year of medical school at the University of Michigan and was a resident and member of Phi Rho Sigma, Zeta Chapter since 2010. His presence here will be impossible to replace - he was outgoing, fun-loving, and relentlessly positive. At the same time he was very driven and focused, and every one of us remembers receiving his personal tutoring and advice. We at Phi Rho have been relying on one another for comfort and support during this trying time.
However, Phi Rho is struggling in more ways than most are aware. Following last week's tragedy, more than half of our members moved out of the house due to concerns for their ongoing safety as well as the emotional trauma that all of us have sustained. This has created a financial crisis at the house. At half capacity, the house is projected to run a $100,000 deficit for the 2013-2014 academic year. This includes operating costs and necessary improvements to security and infrastructure that have become critical to house integrity.
For over 100 years, Phi Rho has been a tight-knit community of medical students supporting each other through their educations. Through this tragedy, we have leaned on each other more than ever before for stability and comfort, and this house has been at the heart of that network. It is our hope that this tragedy won't end Phi Rho at Michigan as we know it, and that we will continue to have a loving family for us and for medical students in the future.
Many of you have asked how you can support our family. Your outpouring of caring words, flowers, and emotional support have been incredibly comforting, but our community is in danger of dissolving completely without outside funding to see us through this tragedy. Please give what you can to help sustain our community through this time of grief and instability.
Contributions or gifts to Phi Rho Sigma, Zeta Chapter are not deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes.
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