For the past 15 years, members of La Salle University’s Sigma Phi Lambda fraternity have been managing and operating the Sig Phive K, a charity race that benefits local students attending La Salle Academy. 

For several years, members of the Br. Gerry Molyneaux Sig Phive K, a non-profit, student-led committee of undergraduates from the Sigma Phi Lambda fraternity at La Salle University, have been raising money for students at La Salle Academy in Kensington. On November 15, 2025, the group held their 15^th annual Sig Phive K race.  

“We raise money throughout the entire fiscal year through donations, sponsors, and fundraisers. Our largest fundraiser each year is the Sig Phive K race which is a 5-kilometer race held on and around La Salle’s campus,” Kolby Samuels, ‘26, the director of operations for the organization, said. “The race brings together hundreds of La Salle’s students, alumni, faculty, and others from the Greater Philadelphia area to run (or walk) in support of La Salle Academy’s cause.” 

La Salle Academy is a grade school in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, which is dedicated to serving underprivileged children, Samuels said, adding that the students at the Academy exclusively come from low-income families, many of which struggle with housing insecurity and community violence.  

For Samuels and his fraternity brothers, supporting those students is more than just simple fundraising.  

“The brothers of Sigma Phi Lambda are dedicated to assisting a cause larger than ourselves. As Lasallians, we have an obligation to help one another and to be of each other’s service,” Samuels, a communication major, said. “For the brothers of Sigma Phi Lambda to be able to play a part in uplifting someone to success who may not have been able to previously is not only an honor, but a privilege.” 

Their dedication to helping those students shows. This year, they are set to eclipse the over $65,000 that was raised in the 2024-25 fundraising year, Samuels said.  

“Over the past 15 years, the now Br. Gerry Molyneaux Sig Phive K has raised almost half a million dollars to help the under-served students at La Salle Academy,” Br. Gerry Molyneaux, professor emeritus at La Salle, long-time mentor and advisor for the fraternity, and the groups namesake, said. “On our end, the students on the committee have learned communication skills in raising money, promoting the race to various groups, and organizing the event. They have also laid the base for a lifetime of giving back as good citizens do.” 

For more about the 15^th annual Sig Phive K race, see 6abc’s coverage here.  

-Naomi Thomas