"You learn a lot from brothers in other chapters," said Thomas Muellner, Belmont '07. "You learn that, while you all bring different cultures and different experiences to the ATO experience, you have so many things that unify you all."

Muellner hit the nail on the head.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, Muellner along with 60 other ATOs from three different chapters woke up at the crack of dawn for the second annual Tennessee Tau community service event with Habitat for Humanity, just one of the Signature Events put on by the Iota Phi chapter at Belmont University.

Along with members of the Eta Nu chapter from Middle Tennessee State University and the Eta Tau chapter from Austin Peay State University, men of the Iota Phi chapter left the Belmont University parking garage at 6 a.m. for Timberwood, one of Nashville's newest Habitat for Humanity sponsored communities. They arrived and immediately began working with over one hundred other volunteers working on several different sites in the area.

"It's always funny because the first ten or fifteen minutes is awkward," said Muellner. "When you're trying to get to know each other, everybody is a little 'too cool,' but eventually, once you start working with each other and getting your hands dirty and get to know each other, you really just start to fall into a brotherhood with each other."

"I just wanted other chapters to be able to come out and hang with us so we could meet guys from other chapter and they could meet us, and we could get more numbers to help out a great cause like Habitat," said event coordinator Spence Tomlinson, Belmont '07. "You don't have to do everything with your own chapter or your own school. Do events with other guys. It doesn't have to be community service. It could be just a brotherhood event, but do something to help bridge the gap between chapters."

This is an incredibly novel idea that the Iota Phi chapter has grasped, and they're just getting started. The best part about the event is how it practically builds itself, and all you really need to do is get the engine running and direct as it builds steam.

First, choose an organization to assist that everyone will be able to connect with, not something that is just local to your chapter. Research the other chapters in your state and find out what service opportunities you all have in common. The first year of Tennessee Tau, the guys at Belmont chose an organization specific to the Nashville area, and many chapters were unsure about what the organization even did. But this year, Belmont chose Habitat for Humanity, a widely known service organization that stretches across the country, a much better way to get other chapters to hop on board with the event.

Next, contact the chosen organization to find out their needs. This will help your chapter to figure out how much support you'll need for the event and also increase the impact that you can have on that organization. For instance, Belmont contacted Habitat for Humanity and found that they only needed to bring between 60 and 70 men to the build, any more and there would be too much overflow. Iota Phi took this into consideration and was able to plan their event around the needs of the organization, ensuring that they would have a positive impact.

The biggest step is contacting chapters. Reach out to the other chapters in your area, state, or even region. Use your Leadership Consultant and the National Headquarters to help you in your efforts. Tennessee has the second largest concentration of ATO chapter with ten chapters. In fact, four of those chapters in Tennessee are within one hour of each other, and two of them are in the same city only minutes away from one another. That was Belmont's initial inspiration for the Tennessee Tau. It seemed stupid not to partner with fellow ATO brothers in a joint venture to make an impact within the community.

One thing to constantly remember with any event is planning. Be sure to plan months in advance. The men of Iota Phi begin planning for Tennessee Tau as soon as it is over to ensure that next year will be easier and better than the previous year. Part of their strategy also involved staying in contact with the other chapters and updating them on the project and making sure that they would still be attending.

Finally, make things easy. The best way to do this is to choose an event that doesn't require a lot of external effort. Basically, be mindful of the kind of event you are trying to plan. Don't try to build something that needs the constant attention of every chapter involved like a huge fundraiser. Try to make it so that the event costs very little and only requires a time commitment. Belmont's efforts with Habitat for Humanity are a perfect example because it didn't cost anything for the chapters involved, and they were only expected to commit time and energy for a few hours on a specific day.

Signature events like Tennessee Tau have the capacity to grow exponentially and create a huge impact within a community and even a state such as Tennessee. All it takes is a little planning, the right steps, and a lot of consistency. Your chapter will also find that working side by side with fellow ATO brothers can leave a huge impression on your ATO experience, giving you and your brothers a new perspective on what it means to be an ATO.

"This is a great opportunity to get to know brothers from other chapters," said Muellner. "And you can't compare that to anything else."