Frank Weschler and his fraternity brothers in Ohio Wesleyan University's Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter are putting the finishing touches on a Feb. 6 fundraiser for victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake. It's called "Belly Flop for Haitian Relief."
"Believe it or not, there is a proper technique to this," said Weschler, 21, a junior theater major. "You want your whole body and face to remain parallel to the water throughout the air."
Weschler is a two-time belly-flopping-for-charitable-contributions champion at Loyola Academy, his Wilmette, Ill., high school. He pitched the idea to his fraternity brothers, and now they're preparing for a campuswide competition at the university's pool.
"I didn't say it doesn't hurt less to do it this way," Weschler said. "But it does make for a bigger splash and, besides, what we say is we're hurting a little so they can hurt less."
Easing that suffering has become a goal for many area students from grade school through college, with penny-collection drives and dress-down-pass sales leading the way.
