Something Heartwarming for a Monday.....

[12dn94dst]

This article was in The Sacramento Bee. If you don't want to read it here, the address is
http://www.sacbee.com/lifestyle/news..._20001014.html

I encourage ALL Greeks to post similar items.

Sorority sisters bond for life, for betterment of Sacramento
By Fahizah Alim
Bee Staff Writer
(Published Oct. 14, 2000)
Carolyn N. Watts was in a serious car accident about two years ago. One of the first things she remembers is waking up in the intensive care unit of the UC Davis Medical Center and the nurse speaking to her in a hushed tone.

"She said, 'How many sisters do you have?' " Watts recalls. "I answered, 'One hundred and one.' The nurse responded, 'Well, they're all out there in the waiting room.' "

Of course, Watts was not referring to biological sisters. But even in her painful, medicated haze, she was keenly aware of the love and support she received from her Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters.

They were already at the hospital when Watts' husband arrived. And they were there, day and night, until Watts was released.

For 45 years, since she became a member of the sorority, Watts -- an only child -- has enjoyed the friendship of women who, she believes, are as loyal as any biological sister could be.

When she moved to Sacramento 27 years ago, one of the first things she did was call her sister members of Sacramento's alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Although she had pledged the Alpha Zeta chapter when she was attending Talladega College in Alabama, she knew she would be welcomed into Sacramento's chapter. With open arms.

That is the nature of African American sorority life, which Watts believes has been exemplified during the 50-year history of the local Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.

Watts met Doris Woods when she went to her first Delta meeting.

Woods, a retired school administrator, was one of the founding members of the local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. She and six other women decided it was important to bring to Sacramento the concept and practice of service that Delta has symbolized since it was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1913.

The first public act performed by the Delta Founders involved their participation in 1913 in the Women's Suffrage March in Washington, D.C.

Today, there are more than 750 chapters throughout the United States, Africa, Japan, Korea and the Caribbean Islands, with a membership of more than 195,000.

Most historically black colleges or colleges with significant African American enrollment have at least one chapter of the black sororities or fraternities.

However, in 1949 when Woods was attending CSUS, there were no black sororities or fraternities.

Woods had attended a historically black college in Texas before transferring to CSUS. There she met another woman, Sumatra Mulholland Kirkland, who also wanted to become a Delta. They decided to go to the Delta chapter in Berkeley to become members.

"They did a special line for us," recalls Woods, referring to the sorority method of welcoming a new group of members. "And the next year Sumatra and I formed our chapter here in Sacramento."

The other charter members of the local chapter were Grace Jones, who became a prominent businesswoman, Ruth Johnson, Lucille Veck Copeland, Marian Bolden and Frances LaRue Walker.

Four of the seven original members are still living and will be honored today at a dinner celebrating the local chapters' 50th anniversary. More than 150 people are expected to attend the event at the Capitol Plaza Holiday Inn.

Woods' family had moved to Sacramento from Chickasha, Okla., where she had attended Lincoln High School and received an academic scholarship from the Deltas. She attended Prairie View College before transferring to what was then called Sacramento State College.

There were three African Americans in Woods' graduating class.

"Coming from an all-black college to a practically all-white school was a little culture shock," Woods says.

"It's nice to have a network of friends. And that's what I wanted in the Deltas, a network of women that you could follow and respect and find anywhere you went in the U.S. That was a support system for you.

"That's what we can do for young people and for each other," Woods continues. "I am really proud of this chapter and the seven women who had the vision to bring this chapter here to perform a service, because first and foremost we are a public service organization."

During the 50 years that the Deltas have worked in the Sacramento area, they have developed a variety of programs to benefit the community.

The group made its first public appearance with a "tea" at the Women's Civic Improvement Center, one of the few places at that time that African Americans could host events.

They went on to host bridge luncheons that raised money for needy students at Sacramento City College.

As women's activism intensified over the decades, the Deltas followed suit -- moving from social functions to creating service programs. Their sponsorship of the annual Ebony Fashion Fair is their largest fund-raiser. Funds go to their scholarship funds for high scholastic achievers and single mothers continuing their education. Proceeds from that event also allowed the sorority to purchase a piano for the Women's Civic Improvement Club Center and make substantial contributions to the Sacramento Society for the Blind, the Mental Health Association and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

In the 1980s, they started a project at Grant High School to provide counseling for teen pregnancy intervention, tutoring and mentoring. Their Step-by-Step program for single heads of households assists people entering the job market.

In the 1990s, the Deltas started a "Delta Days at the Capitol," with hundreds of sorority members from throughout the state descending on the Capitol for workshops and to gain familiarity with legislators and the legislative process.

Current programs include Habitat for Humanity, Project Share and volunteering for the Special Olympics held each summer at CSUS.

Says Woods as she prepares to accept her honor as a founding Delta sister: "We try to continue the tradition of exposing our women to excellence in achievement and in service. We strive to be a part of the community as a resource and as a positive influence.

"Deltas have stood for public service since their beginning, and will continue to do so into the future."



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Kelli
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
12-Delta Nu-94
MAL, Southern Region
Savannah State University c/o 1997

[equeen]

What a great idea!

Here's a philanthropy project called Science Exploration Day that our Alpha Chapter does. The news article is dated, however my Sisters do this every year, and it's a great hit with the school-aged girls. You can read the article at http://www.it.umn.edu/inventing/98summer/sorority.html, or the full text is below.

The science behind the sorority
The University [of Minnesota] is home to the first chapter of Alpha Sigma Kappa, a sorority for women in technical studies. Each year, its members sponsor an event to interest young girls in science and engineering.
by Paul Sorenson and David Hyland

It was a visit to Emily Eelkema's high school by University professors that propelled her interest in aerospace engineering. This spring, the IT senior returned the favor.

Eelkema and other members of Alpha Sigma Kappa, a sorority for women in technical studies, brought more than 50 middle school girls to campus in May for the group's fourth annual Science Exploration Day.

Jenny Cordina, the sorority's scholastic chair and the project's chief organizer, says the purpose of the event is to get young girls excited about science and engineering.

"We want to show them that women can be scientists and engineers, that it can be cool, and that we aren't all technical nerds," she says.

To generate interest in the event, sorority members visited area schools to meet with classes of girls and invite them to attend. According to aerospace engineering senior Dorothea Czernik, they were met with a surprising level of enthusiasm.

"When we told them to sign up [for Science Exploration Day] early because space was limited, one girl wanted to go home immediately and get her mother's permission to come," says Czernik. "She didn't want to miss out." As in the past, the event quickly filled to capacity.

For this year's event, sorority members designed five fun, hands-on experiments that demonstrated applications of aerospace, civil, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering.

The day began with a lecture from aerospace engineering professor Ellen Longmire. Using wooden planes and a model of the space shuttle currently in development, Longmire demonstrated how planes and helicopters fly.

As the day continued, the girls learned about polymers by making a Silly Putty-like substance from sodium borate and white glue. They discovered the mechanical workings of an injection molding machine that heated chocolate and forced it into the shape of Goldy Gopher, and explored aerodynamic principles by watching water flow across an airplane wing.

But the most popular experiment demonstrated the principles behind quicksand. The girls immersed their hands in a tank of wet sand that sorority members changed into quicksand by flowing water through the tank.

"Wet sand is stable," explains Cordina. "But when water flows through it, it becomes unstable. Presto! It's quicksand!"

Cordina says Science Exploration Day changes from year to year depending on the expertise of the students involved. In the past, the event has included experiments in math, physics, chemistry, geology, and statistics. Funding from the IT Student Board and the Program for Women in IT helps defray the cost of busing the girls to campus.

The sorority began as a "little sister" organization to Triangle Fraternity, a national engineering and technical fraternity. In 1989, members of that group organized what became the first chapter of Alpha Sigma Kappa, an independent social sorority for women in technical studies. A second chapter was founded at the University of Oklahoma in 1996.

According to Eelkema, the 25-member sorority is less formal than other Greek organizations at the University and emphasizes academic excellence over social activities.

She and other sorority members hope that some of the girls who attend Science Exploration Day will one day join their ranks - if not in Alpha Sigma Kappa, then in the science and engineering workforce.

"I know how important it is for students to be encouraged when they're young," says Cordina. "I was, and that's why I'm here today."

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equeen
A Lioness has her Pride!
@>--;--
Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies

[This message has been edited by equeen (edited October 16, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by equeen (edited October 16, 2000).]

[Eclipse]

Great articles ladies!! Thanks for sharing!

[AXO Alum]

Originally posted by 12dn94dst:
enjoyed the friendship of women who, she believes, are as loyal as any biological sister could be.

I'll second, third, and fourth that emotion! Thanks for a great pick up in the midst of a bunch of strife!



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"Alpha Chi Omega - If you only had 2 wishes, what would your second one be?"