Graduate accountancy student Joseph Eisenhut donated $500 to a Hurricane Katrina Relief fund.

The money came from a Beta Alpha Psi Service Award Scholarship last August, which Eisenhut gave back to the fraternity as a donation for hurricane funds.

John Kindelin, a senior accountancy major, had a role in helping Eisenhut and Beta Alpha Psi donate the money. A Northern Star article, in addition to Kindelin and Eisenhut’s conversations, gave the fundraising efforts inspiration, Kindelin said.

The pair set up a table in Barsema Hall to raise money with hopes of matching Eisenhut’s donation.

At a Beta Alpha Psi weekly meeting, Eisenhut announced his donation and issued a personal challenge to match it.

“I gave the money to Beta Alpha Psi because I knew that they would at least match it,” Eisenhut said. “The money to do so came from the members [of Beta Alpha Psi].”

Corbett, Duncan and Hubly accounting firm, guest speakers at the Beta Alpha Psi meeting, said they would donate whatever amount was in their NIU credit account at the time. This amount was about $150.

Volunteers with Beta Alpha Psi spent two weeks behind a table asking students for donations to the hurricane fund in order to match Eisenhut’s donation and meet his challenge.

Through the additional donation from Corbett, Duncan and Hubly and the work of the volunteers from Beta Alpha Psi, over $1,200 was raised and donated to the hurricane relief fund, more than $200 over Beta Alpha Psi’s initial goal.

Don Tidrick, associate accountancy professor and faculty advisor of Beta Alpha Psi, also was a big help in the process, Kindelin said.

“Don is truly an inspiration for me as well as all college students because he has demonstrated what it means to be a good citizen. His generosity will never be forgotten by me or those citizens that were so tragically affected by the hurricanes,” Kindelin said.