This piece was just printed in The Key, Kappa Kappa Gamma's magazine. It is by Liz Runkle, a Kappa alum from our Alpha chapter at Monmouth, and it's a really beautiful sentiment on legacies that applies to any sorority. With recruitment just around the corner, I thought this would be a great reminder for all of us with legacies of our own!
Who Is a Legacy?
Liz Runkle
I do not ask you to pledge my daughter... I do not ask her to pledge Kappa. I would not want her to become a part of your chapter if you and she were not comfortable together. I do ask you to get to know her, to try to pick her out among the crowd of eager, polished, hopeful young faces. I ask that you take an extra moment to see beyond her shyness and her tension, and to look into her heart.
I believe in Kappa and all that it stands for. I have lived my life with its ideals as a guiding star. I have tried to teach my daughter to find beauty and goodness. Those are seeds sown within her soul... they are there ready to blossom.
Did I recruit my own daughter? If singing a Kappa song softly, like a lullaby, is recruiting, then yes, I did. If answering her small girl questions, "Mommy, can I be a Kappa, too?" with a heartfelt, "Yes, child, I hope so" is recruiting, then yes, I did. If living and loving Kappa every day for more than 20 years is recruiting, then yes, I did. I will sit by my telephone and wait for her call. I pray that I will hear a voice, happy and excited, saying, "Mom, I pledged Kappa!"
I will rejoice with her whichever sorority she pledges, and I will also always love Kappa, and yes, I hope that she will have the opportunity to love Kappa too. The decision rests with her and with you. Please make it with care.
Who is a legacy? She is the daughter I held in my arms... and she is the daughter whom you may someday hold in your arms too.
http://digital.watkinsprinting.com/publication/?i=19231