Several Northwestern fraternities will bring a hockey-based philanthropy to Evanston during Winter Quarter to raise funds for the Chicago-based American Brain Tumor Association.

Dropping the Puck on Cancer, primarily organized by Beta Theta Pi fraternity, is scheduled to begin Jan. 16, kicking off the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend. The fraternities will host the tournament, which started at Indiana University in 2011, for about two weeks during Winter Quarter after Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association recruitment have ended.

Organizers expect the event to be successful because it provides a chance for bonding among Greek organizations and is a cause all students can support, said Medill sophomore Joe Blackman, a Beta member who helped organize the event.

“All the new Greek members can get involved, (get to) know each other and build an interfraternal sense through this event,” he said.

They also expect the event’s novelty will help bring out students’ sense of volunteering and active participation at on-campus events.

“We knew that it was something different, a market that wasn’t normally being reached by other events and thought it would be a great opportunity,” SESP sophomore and Beta member John Wylie said.

NU’s Beta, Sigma Chi, Phi Kappa Psi and Pi Kappa Alpha chapters are currently the only participants, but organizers said they are seeking more Greek organizations to collaborate with. They are also searching for sponsors and donors to subsidize equipment and transportation costs.

Beta members hope that this will mark the beginning of a new tradition at NU, Wylie said.

“The goal is to make this a game and an event that continues to be a huge success for the Northwestern Greek community and everyone else that’s involved,” Wylie said.

Last year, Indiana raised $51,000, which was donated to ABTA to fund medical student summer fellowships.

“This will be the first year that we’re involved in an expansion where our events are now all donating to the American Brain Tumor Association,” said Carl Lamb, president and founder of Drop the Puck. “(Drop the Puck) is also now something that I’m taking personally to nine other colleges around the country.”

In 2013, Lamb also founded Collegiate Charities, an association that assists nonprofit organizations with day-to-day tasks and fundraising events. Collegiate Charities has been reaching out to universities around the country to set up games similar to Drop the Puck. Lamb said 70 percent of the profits made by the organization are also donated to charity.

“We are really truly excited to be at Northwestern,” Lamb said. “Taking this event there will only make our operation more prestigious.”

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Twitter: @StavrosAgorakis