CSUN’s Alpha Xi Delta chapter raised $27,000 in a week-long charity event for Autism Speaks and were given the honor of revealing the total at “Walk Now for Autism Speaks” event.

Alpha Xi Delta Vice President Hillary Nadler said the honor was a response to the sorority’s $15,401 fundraising contribution to “Walk Now for Autism Speaks,“ in which 256 Xi members participated in a day-long walk.

“We set our target high this year,” said Taylor Anderson, Xi princess who co-organized the charity week with senior Ari Hernandez. “Xi graduates wanted to make their mark and raise a ton of money to keep the Autism Speaks tradition alive.”

Autism Speaks is an autism science and advocacy organization dedicated to funding research and treatment for preventing autism. Alpha Xi Delta has worked closely with Autism Speaks since 2009, according to the Alpha Xi Delta website.

Xi’s charity week, dubbed the “AmaXIng Challenge,” was medieval themed and included participation from 14 CSUN fraternities, who challenged one another for the good graces of the “Xi princesses.”

Each fraternity nominated a representative to take part in a series of games for the title of “Xi King.” To win the crown, “knights” wooed Xi princesses with their talents, T-shirt designs and Xi spirit.

In a knighting ceremony that raised $1,700, each fraternity produced a 3-5 minute talent performance and Justin Clark, a Kappa Sigma “knight,” won the title of King. Sigma Phi Epsilon won the evening’s overall best performance.

Other popular events included a jousting tournament, a silent auction, an intramural volleyball game and a Xi artifacts duel, in which the knights dawned Xi body art and carried Xi regalia for 24 hours to show their support for the sorority.

“We had a lot of fun with the medieval theme,” Anderson said. “It got a lot of attention from the fraternities and it was really cool to see the CSUN frats out there cheering us on and supporting us.”

On May 6, Alpha Xi Delta will take part in a celebratory brunch hosted by the L.A. Walk Now Committee, according to an Autism Speaks release.

“After I become an alumna from my chapter, I want them (the sorority) to continue doing an amazing job of spreading awareness for our philanthropy Autism Speaks, and to continue to go above and beyond to achieve their goals,” Anderson said.