Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity chapters at both Tech and Georgia partner each year for a relay race between the two campuses that raises money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The race is key to Saturday’s game, as they’ll be carrying the game football along the way.

The relay begins at Tech’s Phi Gamma Delta house on Fowler Street on Friday at 8 a.m. About 30 Tech brothers will participate and run the ball to Loganville Middle School, where the Georgia brothers will pick up the ball to get it to Athens. A police escort will accompany the runners along the way. The ball is scheduled to arrive in Athens around 7 p.m., in plenty of time for the noon kickoff on Saturday.

“It’s awesome to be able to overlook the rivalry for a day in hopes that every child who steps through the doors of Children’s has the chance to hear the magical words, ‘all better,’” said Caleb Appleton, a biomedical engineering major and FIJI member.

So far the Tech group has raised $5,000 in donations. The event, which has been held annually since 1998, usually raises around $30,000 between the two schools. Donations are accepted online. Though the race will take place Friday, FIJI is raising money for Children’s through the end of the semester.

Despite a heated football rivalry, the Georgia Tech and University of Georgia communities have historically come together for the greater good during their rivalry week. For several years, the two schools competed in blood donation drives for the American Red Cross.