Chili Cook-Off Raises Money
Students and faculty members gathered in Martin Hall to participate in the third annual Chili Cook-Off event to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation on Nov. 18.
The School of Physical Therapy in the College of Health Sciences organized the event, which started shortly after noon in the lobby of Martin Hall and was filled with people ready to taste this year’s chili.
UIndy students paid $5 each to sample all of the chilis and stews and get a full bowl of their favorite at the third annual Chili Cook-Off. The School of Physical Therapy held this cook-off to raise money for the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. They plan to raise $350 this year through this and other efforts. Photo by Kayla Prosser.
“The last two years we’ve had a Chili Cook-Off it was pretty competitive, and the winner gets a trophy and bragging rights for the rest of the year,” said Assistant Professor of the Krannert School of Physical Therapy Bill Staples.
People who attended the event could get a bowl of the chili of their choice with tortilla chips and sides for $5.
“We’ve been choosing chili as the means of the fundraising event because it’s filling and it’s a nice warm comfort food,” Staples said.
The Chili Cook-Off was not just about food; the physical therapy department was also raising money for a cause.
“It comes down to raising money for the local Arthritis Foundation in the Indiana chapter. They sponsor a fellowship with Riley Children’s Hospital,” Staples said.
The School of Physical Therapy is looking to raise $350 for the Arthritis Foundation this year.
Students from UIndy also will form a team for the Jingle Bell, a race to raise awareness of health issues related to aging. All proceeds will go toward arthritis-related issues.
“They [the professors] advertised this in our classes throughout the week,” said Tara Hipp, a third year physical therapy student. “We appreciate the donations to the Arthritis Foundation. We all like to contribute and we all love chili.”
Seven different pots of chili were available for the tasters. Once the tasters were done sampling, they could pick one to have in a bigger portion.
“This year, we actually have stews and soups so people can have different types of food and not just chili,” Staples said.
Tasters also voted for their favorite pot of chili, with the winner receiving a trophy at the end of the event.
Last year, students received points toward a class if they volunteered at the Chili Cook-Off event, but this year the School of Physical Therapy did something different.
“Since the class was moved to next semester, we asked that those students who wished to volunteer for the chili cook-off volunteer at the Jingle Bell race instead,” Staples said.
Josh Vice, a third year doctoral student in physical therapy, thought that the Chili Cook-Off was a nice event to get involved in, to give back to the local community.
“We come because we want to support our professors, but it’s also for a great cause,” Vice said. “It’s going to the Arthritis Foundation. Anytime we can support valuable causes, it’s just something I feel like I need to do.”
The winner of the third annual Chili Cook-Off was announced shortly after 1 p.m. The winner was Staples.
He said fresh ingredients were the key to winning, and that the recipe was perfected through his 25 years of cooking. He declined to share the winning recipe.
This year the Chili Cook-Off raised $415 for the local Arthritis Foundation. All the chili was sold out at the end of the event.
“I definitely think students should be more involved,” Vice said. “I know from a health care perspective, we get involved because it is going to help a health care issue. But I think it’s important for everybody to advocate for something that they are passionate about.”
