High notes were hit, change rattled and wings were devoured as the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority hosted its ninth annual Wing Jam event at Buffalo Connection Tuesday night. The event offered 17 bands and singer-songwriters an opportunity to showcase their talent and raise money for diabetes research. With contestants paying a $20 entry fee and spectators giving money for their favorite performer, the remaining proceeds from the prize money will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Performers were allotted enough time to perform one song, after which Alpha Gam members collected donations from the audience in Tupperware containers.
Katherine Crum, sophomore in early childhood education, won first place and took home the $200 grand prize for her rendition of "At Last", originally sung by Etta James. "I was freaking out the entire night," Crum said. "I was so nervous to even sing. We heard third and second place and when they called for first my heart was racing and it felt so good. It was really exciting." Crum, a member of Phi Mu, said her sisters picked her to represent the sorority, by singing in Wing Jam, because of some previous stage experience she had.
"I actually won MTV spring break queen last year for singing 'Amazing Grace'," Crum said. The donation to the diabetes foundation was the ultimate motivator for Crum to take the stage Tuesday night. "I get so nervous to sing in front of people and I actually really hate doing it, but I knew it was for a good cause, so I'm really glad that I did it." Two familiar Auburn football faces, Mario Fannin and Zac Etheridge, took time off the field to co-host the event. "My grandmother has diabetes," Fannin said, "so it kind of touched me that they're actually doing something as far as research going on to try and cure it. I think it's a great idea they came up and I'm glad to be part of it."
Etheridge said they are happy to show their support and help raise money for such a good cause. Shaun Crane, a freshman in music education at Southern Union, performed "Beautiful Like You", a song he wrote two years ago. "Music is a anybody everybody kind of thing," Crane said. "Everybody can relate in some way with music." Crane felt the events opportunity for songwriters, such as himself, is very important in a city like Auburn. "I think what it does is bring people together," Crane said. "It can really reach out to a community a lot faster than word of mouth. When you mention that music will be present that opens up a whole spectrum." Minus one performer not taking the stage, Chelsea Ferguson, junior in biomedical sciences, and philanthropy chair for Alpha Gam, said the event was very successful for the foundation and the contestants. "Diabetes is becoming so common I feel like it's a really worthy cause," Ferguson said.
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