The Bettys sing for charity at UW event

Photo by DJ Bowman

From a story by Andrea Knous in the Branding Iron:

More than 300 people attended The Bettys event this past Saturday, Helen Chanthongthip, a graduate student in Speech Pathology and member of the group, said.

The group raised $240 for its charities: The Wyoming Family Home Ownership Program, which provides local low-income families with children the opportunity to pay a down payment for a home, and IJM, an organization assisting in the fight to end human slavery, Chanthongthip said.

The group was formed in 2006 by six UW women. Today, the last of the founders is Rebecca Johnson, a graduate student in civil engineering from Arvada, Colo. and current president of The Bettys.

The group was started when she and four other original members saw how much fun the Happy Jacks (the male a cappella singing group on campus) were having.  The Bettys began performing at Coal Creek, and their reputation grew from there, Johnson said.