On a normal Saturday morning, Whitman students are generally still asleep, leaving the campus deserted and quiet. However, on Saturday, April 30, Hunter Conservatory and Whitman’s baseball field will be centers of hustle and bustle, as Whitman’s Kappa Alpha Theta chapter raises funds to keep Pioneer Park’s Bird Aviary open for another year.

Theta holds a car wash annually to raise money for a charitable cause. This year, they chose the Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary in hopes of preventing the aviary’s closure. Earlier this year, the aviary was threatened with closure due to a one million dollar shortfall in the City of Walla Walla’s budget. This weekend’s philanthropic event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is anticipated to draw students and Walla Walla community members alike to raise awareness of the aviary’s need for funds.

“At this point, the aviary is relying on community donations to raise funds to keep the aviary open for two years until funds can be allocated to keep it open permanently,” said Theta’s Philanthropy Chair sophomore Ally Gibson.

According to Gibson, Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary has reached their fund-raising goal to keep the aviary open for one year, approximately 55,000 dollars in donations. However, the group still has the difficult task of raising funds to keep the aviary open for an additional year –– another 55,000 dollars. If all goes well, the committee hopes to apply for grants to keep the aviary running permanently.

“There’s always a concern that the money will dry up somehow, but we’re confident that we can raise the funds through the support of the community,” said Peggy Jennings, a committee member of Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary.

While this goal seems daunting, the Thetas hope to decrease the total amount Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary still needs to raise. This year their goal is to provide funds to keep the aviary open for at least one month, approximately 4,500 dollars.

“I think the aviary is something special to Walla Walla and the general area,” Gibson said. “Everyone [in Theta] has been invested in the idea of keeping it open.”

In addition to washing cars and bicycles in front of Hunter Conservatory and at Whitman’s baseball field, the Thetas will be hosting a bake sale during the wash to solicit students and community members to contribute to the fund-raising campaign.

By hosting car washes at two separate locations on campus this year, Gibson hopes the Thetas can help spread campus-wide awareness about the aviary’s potential shut down.

“I feel like a lot of people don’t necessarily know that this is an issue and that the bird aviary may seriously close down,” Gibson said.

Many students on campus have furthermore stepped up to help raise awareness and reach the Theta’s fund-raising goal. Performances by Sirens of Swank and Schwa are scheduled to encourage the Whitman community to donate and participate.

“The aviary is really unique for a small community and to have such a cultural and biological element of the community close down would be such a shame,” said senior Schwa member Anna Sky. “This is a good opportunity to branch out into Walla Walla and Whitman with an issue that affects the whole community.”

In choosing the bird aviary as the focus of their fund-raising campaign, the Thetas hope that no matter how small or big of a monetary yield the event produces, the aviary will be able to survive the city’s budget shortfall.

“I do think it’ll make a difference,” Gibson said. “Even if [Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary] doesn’t make the goal of raising enough funds to keep the aviary open for two more years, every single dollar goes to keeping it open longer.”