Donor Profiles

Living by the Sigma Nu Creed

Chris Graham (Lamar) is employed by Exxon Mobil as a systems engineer focused on process control. He's married, has a 10-year-old son and today, 20 years after college graduation, he's still so passionate about Sigma Nu and what the Fraternity stands for that he can recite the entire creed from memory. It all began when he set foot in the Sigma Nu house during rush at Lamar University. He noticed the creed hanging on the wall in the chapter house, and it impacted him.

Giving Back

After joining the chapter, Chris got involved in leadership positions quickly, taking on the role of chaplain. While he's made frequent financial contributions to both his chapter and the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation, a few years ago Chris decided to designate a percentage of a personal life insurance policy to the Foundation.

"For me, the long-term well-being of Sigma Nu is vital," Chris says. "And that's why alumni giving to the Foundation—especially unrestricted giving—is so important because it benefits all chapters, not just mine. I still help my chapter with things like rush expenses, but when I think about my 10-year-old son, it's even more important to consider how I can help Sigma Nu as a whole. I hope my son will one day become a Sigma Nu, but I don't know what chapter that will be, so I want to benefit all chapters."

Chris named Sigma Nu on a personal insurance policy he no longer needed. "Planned giving is great because it doesn't impact my economic situation today. It's no harm, no foul to my current pocketbook, but in the future it will have huge dividends for the Fraternity," Chris says.