A Kennesaw State University fraternity that lost a brother when a recent graduate was killed in September has raised thousands of dollars to fund a scholarship in his name.
The brothers of Pi Kappa Phi’s Eta Delta chapter spent the last full week of April raising money in honor of Harrison Olvey, who would have turned 26 on Monday. He was fatally shot Sept. 3 while working as a valet at a Buckhead club.
The fraternity set a goal to establish a $25,000 scholarship during Harrison Olvey Week, funding it with money raised during the week’s activities and the remainder of a GoFundMe campaign created after his death.
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
They collected hundreds of dollars each day through events like a car wash, volleyball tournament and cookout, raising more than $6,000. Olvey’s mother, Autumn Ernst, said she hoped to supply the remainder of the goal from his GoFundMe, which raised nearly $70,000. A portion of that money was set aside for Olvey’s funeral arrangements.
“I’m beyond proud of (Harrison’s fraternity brothers) and honored by what they’re doing to remember my boy,” Ernst told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s all I’ve ever said: I just don’t want Harrison to be forgotten.”
According to Atlanta police, Olvey was killed when he approached a man suspected of breaking into a car in the parking lot near the club where he worked. Randy King, 22, was identified as the suspect and added to the Atlanta Police Department’s Most Wanted list. More than a month after the shooting, King was found and arrested on multiple charges, including murder. He remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond.
At a Wednesday afternoon event, multiple brothers remembered Olvey with fondness, describing him as a popular and influential member of the fraternity. By establishing a scholarship in his name, they hope to honor Ernst’s wishes and preserve his memory within their organization for years to come.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
“As soon as we found out the news last year, we knew we wanted to do something for him,” Pi Kappa Phi President Josh DeFrank, a senior, said about Olvey’s killing. “We felt that his name would live on longest through a scholarship, so year after year, everybody in our chapter will be able to remember his name.”
KSU junior Aaron Griffin, Pi Kappa Phi’s vice president and philanthropy chairman, explained how the scholarship would be tailored to a member who follows the example set by Olvey. The scholarship will dispense $1,000 each year to a fraternity member who has a financial need but also displays a high rate of participation in the chapter’s events.
“It’s the highest standard of being a member, showing up to everything while paying for your own (dues). Because that’s what Harrison did,” Griffin said. “He managed all that while he was working constantly.”
Both DeFrank and Griffin said Olvey recruited them to the fraternity and served as a positive role model.
At Wednesday’s “Dunk-a-Brother” event, the Pi Kappa Phi brothers rented an old-school dunk tank and set up on KSU’s central campus green. A crowd gathered as they sold tickets to students passing by for the chance to throw softballs at a target that would plunge a brother into a tank filled with chilly water.
DeFrank, the president, was among the first to be dunked.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
“These are all events (Olvey) would have wanted,” he said. “He would have been out here in the dunk tank with us right now. I’m sure in spirit he is.”
Griffin said he was deeply grateful that their community had enthusiastically embraced the effort to honor Olvey.
“It’s amazing. It blows my mind that this many people care, and it’s been kind of life-changing for me,” Griffin said.
DeFrank described the past week as a celebration of Olvey’s life that allowed the brothers to remember and grieve their friend.
“We get through it together. We’re all really close here and this, if anything, has brought us even closer,” DeFrank said. “We’re a 100-man chapter, so dedicating 100 people’s time and effort to these events means the world to us. It’s helped us heal and get through this process together.”
Ernst said several Pi Kappa Phi leaders who knew Olvey planned to join her for dinner Monday night to celebrate his birthday.
