|Image= [[File:Gamma_Pi.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|1927|06|02}}
|College= [httphttps://www.ua.edu/ University of Alabama]
|Location= Tuscaloosa, AL
|Homepage= [httphttps://kkgalabamaua.comkappa.org/ Gamma Pi Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Gamma_Pi Media related to Gamma Pi Chapter]}}
'''3,562 669 initiates (as of June 20172018)'''
The Gamma Pi chapter's major philanthropy, locally in Tuscaloosa, is Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama. We also spend time with Bright Mings reading program through United Way, in addition to Reading is Fundamental. Gamma Pi seeks to better the community and our members by making a difference in the lives of those around us. With such a large chapter, we feel we have a huge opportunity to make a difference in the community locally and nationally, with our donations to Reading is Fundamental. We partner with Reading is Fundamental because it is Kappa's national philanthropy and we notice the importance of child literacy. To promote RIF, we organized a Reading is Key event. During this event, our members volunteered with a local elementary school's kindergarten class, spending time reading and creating crafts. Each child received a book and a supply box filled with crayons, glue, scissors, and stickers. The teachers also received 10-15 books to have for the class. This impacted the children of Northington Elementary tremendously and spread the importance of child literacy. In addition, we are also involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentor program where qualified mentors are matched with a "little brother" or "little sister", of an underprivileged background. We highly encourage our members to become mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters as it is a gratifying experience and opportunity to make a difference in someones life. Each member of our chapter is able to volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters during one of our biggest philanthropy events, and Big Brothers Big Sisters main fundraiser, the Krispy Kreme Challenge. This event is a 5k fun-run to raise money for the philanthropy held annually in February. Big Brothers Big Sisters holds a special place in all of our members' hearts. In addition, our members also participate in Bright Minds reading program through United Way where we send members into local schools to read to elementary children for an hour. We also donate to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation as our chapter wants to give back to the organization that is the reason of our existence. Without Kappa, our members would not have the opportunity to experience the bond and sisterhood we all share. Without the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, our chapter would not exist; for this reason, it is important to give back and recognize our origins.
[[File:Gamma Pi Chapter Facility.jpg|thumb|Gamma Pi Chapter House opened in 2016]]
We hold our chapter meetings in our chapter house on campus. It was opened August 2016, so it is still fairly new. We are so grateful for this amazing house and the time we spend together inside.
==Highlights of 2018==
We began our year in January with a beneficial leadership seminar that allowed the newly elected Chapter Council to meet as a unit, and brainstorm ideas to improve the chapter in the upcoming year. We outlined important dates and set individual and group goals, as well as learned valuable leadership skills. One major goal was to increase chapter participation in Gamma Pi, which we did by giving chapter council committees more responsibilities, allowing them to get more involved. In February, we partnered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters in their biggest fundraiser, the Krispy Kreme Challenge. The entire chapter was able to participate in the 5k run and support the philanthropy that is so important to Gamma Pi. In March, we hosted our annual Parent’s Weekend, which was huge success. We hosted over all of the members of our chapter and their parents, with a total of over 700 people. We host this event every year to express our gratitude for all of the parent’s involvement and support of our chapter. In April, we partnered with Red Cross to host a blood drive on campus, the largest blood at the University of Alabama this year. Over the summer, we continued to work hard to prepare for our upcoming recruitment. In August, we had tremendous success, and recruited 112 new members. Throughout the next several weeks, our marshal worked with them in the new member education program to teach them the importance and significance in Kappa rituals. In October, the new members were initiated, which was a special occasion for the entire chapter as well as the dozens of alumni who were also in attendance. Having such a large chapter, it is important to keep connected through sisterhood events which were held every month, including movie nights, spa days, catered food trucks, and educational speakers to help strengthen our bond as a chapter. Overall, our chapter council has worked hard to preserve the Kappa standards and bring our chapter closer together. Our implementation of committees as well as increase in accountability for all members seems to have boosted morale and increased participation. All of this said, none of this could be possible without the love and dedication from our Kappa sisters and alumnae.
We are so blessed to have such a beautiful house that we all respect and share. Our chapter, being so large, is blessed to have such a diverse and interesting group of women who love and encourage each other every day. There is such a strong sense of community and friendship throughout the entire chapter. We encourage our members to be leaders in their community, the classroom, and role models to those around them. Overall, Gamma Pi is a source of love and sisterhood that we are confident will last far beyond our years at the University.
One of the most important goals of Gamma Pi is striving to better the community by impacting the lives of those around us. Being such a thriving chapter, we have an incredible opportunity to donate our time and resources to our philanthropies. We partner with Reading is Fundamental, which is our national philanthropy because we see the need in this country to greatly improve child literacy. One way we contributed, was by hosting our annual Reading is Key event, during which our members volunteered at a local elementary school’s kindergarten class. Each class received books and supplies for all of the children. Our members stayed with the children, reading to them and making arts a crafts. In doing this, we believe we made a positive impact on the teachers and students of Northington Elementary, as well as spread the importance of child literacy. In addition to Reading is Fundamental, we also support Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama as our local philanthropy. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentor program in which qualified mentors are paired with a “little brother” or “little sister” from an underprivileged family. We highly encourage all of our members to take part in this program, as it is very rewarding for both our members and the children they mentor. We also support Big Brother Big Sisters by partnering with them in their biggest fundraiser of the year, the Krispy Kreme Challenge, which is a 5k held in every year in February. We, as a chapter, have formed very strong bonds with the leaders of Big Brothers Big Sisters and are honored to be able to give back. Our chapter also participates in the Bright Minds reading program, through which our members volunteer to read to local elementary students for one hour. We also donate to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Organization to support or national chapter. Without Kappa, many of us would not have the opportunities we have today, and for that we are extremely grateful.
Madeline Turner, a Gamma Pi current member and legacy, in addition to newly elected Vice President of Education for the 2019 year, has deep Kappa history. She can be reached at mturner@crimson.ua.edu.
==Highlights of the 2020s==
From This year was a year of challenges and changes for our chapter and every Kappa chapter history reports. However, I truly believe that Gamma Pi came together and worked hard to make this semester the best that it possibly could be for our members. Scholarships: Due to COVID-19, we were unable to host our annual Virginia Gray and Becca Scholarship Fundraiser, which provides funds to give two of our members scholarships to help pay their chapter dues. McLean Moore, our Director of Philanthropy, had plans to have a book drive at the fundraiser to support Reading is Fundamental, as well as the Virginia Gray and Becca Scholarship. We hope to be able to continue our tradition of having this fundraiser in the coming years. Despite not being able to have the fundraiser, we were still able to give two of our members the scholarshipthis year! In addition, we are so proud that many of our members have scholarships from UA and other organizations. Convention Awards: National Philanthropy Award – Large Chapter Traditions: This year we did not get to do many of our traditions such as the end of Recruitment Workshop Waterslide and Snow Cone Party and the Virginia Gray and Becca Cookout. The Virginia Gray and Becca Cookout is an annual event in memory of two Gamma Pi members who we unexpectedly lost in a car accident a few years ago. The money raised in their honor at the cookout goes toward a scholarship fund that is awarded by the girls’ parents to a member of the Gamma Pi chapter. With the purchase of a $5 wristband, attendees could come into the house to enjoy a barbeque lunch and a live band on the Saturday of the Homecoming game! At our last cookout, group honors/awardswe had over 700 people attend. Hopefully, traditionswe can continue this tradition in the future. One tradition that we were able to keep, was our annual ‘fancy’ dinner on the night of Founders Day. Our House Mom always gets cakes from her favorite local bakery and our kitchen pulls out all the stops for the special day. Usually, the dining room is full with people sitting on the ground as well as a long line to the kitchen. This year, our socially distanced line to get our food, wrapped around the house, and most people took their meals home or back to their dorms, but we still felt the love from our kitchen staff and House Mother! Everyone was so excited that we didn’t lose that tradition to COVID.Special Events: Obviously, COVID kept us from doing a lot of eventsthat we usually love. However, changes we were still able to go to our favorite event, which is the Krispy Kreme Run. This is a philanthropy event that benefits the BBBS of West Alabama, which is our local philanthropy. Our chapter advisor, Whitney Jamison, is heavily involved in BBBS, so we love helping her at the event. It is always on a Saturday morning, and we always have a huge turnout of Kappas. We were so lucky that this year’s Krispy Kreme Run was in February, the weekend before we were sent home for COVID. It was the last in-person event that we got a chance to attend and while we were sad to leave Tuscaloosa, we were glad we didn’t miss it! Philanthropic Involvement: This year we were incredibly limited in what we could dohands-on campus for our philanthropy. With the majority of the kids that we work with doing school from home, we could not visit or within read to them like we usually do. We usually have many ‘Reading is Key’ events, where we send our members to local elementary schools in the Tuscaloosa area to read to their classes and help them with their work. The kids absolutely love when we get to come and our members really love it too. We can’t wait to be able to start ‘Reading is Key’ events back up when it is safe to do so. We did get to have one ‘Reading is Key’ event in February before we were sent home. This event was held at Matthews Elementary. Over 90 books and pencil pouches filled with erasers, stickers, and colored pencils were given to four 3rd grade classrooms at the school. The book "Whoosh!", which is about a boy who grows up to become an inventor of a very popular toy, was read aloud to the classrooms. An activity followed where the students were to draw and share their own invention on using the materials we provided in the pencil pouches, and share them with the class afterwards. Each student went home with the book "Whoosh!" and their pencil pouches and were excited about reading when they got home. The extra books and materials we brought were donated to the classrooms. We had plans of having another ‘Reading is Key’ event in April and two in the Fall, but they were unable to happen due to COVID-19 restrictions. In February and September 2020, we held percentage days at Juice Bar and South Boutique for RIF, where a percentage of purchases by members of Gamma Pi went to our philanthropy. Due to the unfortunate circumstances over the past year, we were not able to have percentage days that were scheduled in the Spring at other local businesses, and raise money at our Parents’ Weekend. In addition, Gamma Pi is donating $1500 to RIF from our philanthropy budget. We are optimistic for the coming year and are in the works of planning COVID-friendly ways to fundraise for RIF. Despite the circumstances this past year, our chapterwas able to accomplish a lot. We were able to donate to many wonderful organizations in 2020, overall nature and one that sticks out the most is the ‘Reading Allies’ program. ‘Reading Allies’ is a reading proficiency program for K thru 3rd grade elementary school students. The program was developed to help address the serious reading deficiency of Alabama elementary school students. The ‘Reading Allies’ program is based on the highly successful UA Honors College reading proficiency tutoring program. Their program, which uses Honors College developed teaching materials and Honors College students and community volunteer reading tutors, has proven it can help our state address its serious reading proficiency challenge. This fits everything that Kappa's philanthropy stands for, and we supported and became involved with the program by donating $1000. We have also shown continuous involvement with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of West AL, our local philanthropy, this past year. In February 2020, they hosted their annual Krispy Kreme Run and ALL of our members attended - Gamma Pi has the largest involvement of any group that participates! At this run, we ran with the children and others in the Tuscaloosa community and were honored to donate $5000 to them. A large number of our members continue to be "Bigs" to underprivileged children in the Tuscaloosa school system with this organization, and many of our members are waiting to be "matched" with a "Little"! The playroom at the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of West AL office in Tuscaloosa (a room for Bigs and Littles to study, read and play) is still in progress of being completed, with one of our members finishing up a mural on one wall of this room. Once the mural is complete, the tutoring program that was set up last year will kick off, with many of our members setting up "office hours" to go and help students with their studies in this room. Fingers crossed that this will be able to happen in 2021. In addition, we are sponsoring one of our member's "Little" and her siblings to get them presents for Christmas after learning that her family cannot afford it this year. $600-$700 will be spent on their gifts. In November 2020, we learned that many students in the Tuscaloosa area do not have water bottles to bring to school and water fountains are not allowed to be in use at this time. Gamma Pi members were able to gather and drop off over 30 cases of water to TCTA school last month. Chapter Goals: This year our main goal remained to be chapter involvement. I do believe that we did increase chapterinvolvement due to the fact that everything was online. It was much easier for our members to participate and come to events when they were using zoom. Coming off of our Focus Letter last year, chapter this was one of our main goals, challenges and how I believe we did well encouraging participation. Chapter Operations under COVID-19: Our entire semester looked different due to COVID- 19. We started off with a completely virtual Recruitment. While we were worried about our conversations being awkward or weird through zoom, we got great feedback from the PNMs. Our pledge class this year has been amazing. They are so understanding about the limitations of this semester, and they never complain about them. Bid Day was done virtually with the girls coming to the house to pick-up their Bid Day bags after the virtual Bid Day was over. Formal Pledging and Initiation were also done virtually via zoom. We had a virtual Inspiration Period with tabs at our local coffee shop and a Big-Little Reveal via zoom as well. Even though we would have wanted to have these ritual events in person with alumnae coming into Tuscaloosa to participate, many people liked being able to see all the initiates’ faces. The members all said that they really got to listen to what was being said. They were both different than usual, but successful! In general, the house was incredibly different this semester. The first week of school, we had an outbreak in our chapter with many of our members testing positive for the virus. Thankfully, no one was in critical condition and all the members affected are healthy now. During this time, the only people permitted in the house were the people who lived there. Food was served out the back door, so that no one came inside, and we had a group of members at the doorstep of the people who had tested positive or were quarantined. Our members really worked to keep everyone safe during this time, and we all came out of it healthy. We also had some Sisterhood events held over zoom! We had a trivia night that was a hit and the prizes were overcomegreat. We are planning another for next semester! Chapter PhilanthropyWhat organization does the chapter support? Big Brothers Big Sisters of West AlabamaWhy did the chapter choose this organization? We support BBBS of West Alabama because we want to impact children near us in the Tuscaloosa community. We give financially, but with BBBS, many of our members are also able to give their time. Members of Gamma Pi are able to be matched with a “Little” and volunteer their time to helping a child reach their full potential. We also have the flexibility and support to start more programs like tutoring services. By supporting BBBS, we are able to make an impact directly in our local community. Diversity, Equity, and InclusionHow did your chapter include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in yourprogramming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social mediaawareness campaign, chapter training, etc.). This year we were so excited to add a DEIofficer to our Chapter Council. Our new Director of DEI, Molly DiMarino is so excited to be a part of Chapter Council and work with our entire chapter in her DEI efforts. At UA, our SGA recently started an initiative in which people can be DEI Certified. In this process, individuals can participate in open table talks, literature, and forums with people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community to make our campus a more inclusive environment for everyone. This year, everyone on Chapter Council and many of our members who were interested in the topic started this process in September and will be getting DEI Certified in February. We are so excited about this program and the future of what it could do for our members. Sesquicentennial CelebrationHow did your chapter celebrate Kappa's 150th anniversary? Share what you have done thisyear. This year for our 150th Anniversary, our chapter had a fancy dinner to celebrate. This steak dinner is a tradition to Gamma Pi that our kitchen is always so excited to do for us, but they especially were this year, since it was our 150th. We also had a history review at chapter to remind our members of our founding the day before Founders Day.
==Highlights of 2021==
Throughout the past year, the Gamma Pi chapter, as well as all chapters across the nation, still faced challenges and changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that our chapter handled the new challenges in the best possible way and I am so proud of everything that this chapter has accomplished over the past year. We also switched House Moms at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. We welcomed Suzanne Lucas in August and she has added a new spark to the chapter.
Scholarships:
We got to host the annual Virginia Gray and Becca Scholarship Fundraiser again this year, after not being able to do so in 2020. This scholarship raises funds for two members of our chapter to receive scholarships to pay for their member dues. Grace Sutherlin, our Director of Philanthropy, raised money for Reading is Fundamental and Mental Health Awareness, as well as the Virginia Gray and Becca Scholarship. We were so happy to hold this fundraiser again this year, and we hope to be able to continue this tradition in the coming years. In addition, we were so proud of all of the members who received scholarships from the University as well as other organizations.
Traditions:
This year, we got to get back to our some of our usual traditions, with a few limitations. We held the annual end of recruitment workshop waterslide and snow cone party. This allows everyone to celebrate the hard work that was put in during workshop and go into recruitment week with a strong sisterhood and positive attitude. Everyone looks forward to it and the payoff really shows during recruitment week. We also held the Virginia Gray and Becca Cookout this year, after not being able to hold it last year. It is an annual event dedicated to the memory of two former Gamma Pi chapter members, who unexpectedly passed away in a car accident a few years ago. The money raised in their honor is donated to a scholarship fund for two active member’s dues. Those who purchase a wristband can come into the Kappa house on a specific game day (usually Homecoming) and enjoy a barbeque lunch. We also got to have the annual Founders Day dinner, that all of the members look forward to attending. The kitchen staff pulls out all the stops for the special day. Girls line up all around the house to eat and celebrate with each other, and it was so nice to see everyone eating and enjoying themselves in person again. Much like the Founders Day Dinner, the Thanksgiving dinner the week before Thanksgiving is a wonderful time at the house, with everyone enjoying great food and looking forward to seeing their families for the holidays. It was so nice to get back to some traditions this year, but there were still a lot of events that we were unable to hold this year.
Special Events:
The pandemic stopped us from hosting many of our usual events last spring and one event that was not held this year was the Krispy Kreme Run. This philanthropy event benefits our local philanthropy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama. It is usually held on Saturday mornings and always has a big turnout of Kappas. Whitney Jamison, our chapter advisor, is very involved with BBBS, and was very sad that it could not be held last year. In lieu of this event, she still held a fundraiser for BBBS in order to raise money for this special organization. In the fall, we were able to hold a new fundraiser for the new Fraternity philanthropy. We held “Biscuits at Bryant Denny” in order to raise money for the Jed Foundation. The Jed Foundation is a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults in the United States. They partner with colleges in order to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. Biscuits for Bryant Denny was held on a Saturday morning before our last home game, and people could come by the front of the Kappa house in order to purchase a biscuit in support of the foundation. It was so fun to get involved with the people in the community, as well as the fans who had traveled to Tuscaloosa to see the game.
Philanthropic Involvement:
In the spring, we were very limited with what we could do with the philanthropy Reading is Fundamental. With the majority of children that we work with doing school at home, we could not visit the local elementary schools and read to the children. These Reading is Key events were so fun and taking a semester off was incredibly hard for our members, who love to be involved in the community. The children love when we get to visit, but we knew that it was better for everyone to stay home and stay safe. Over the summer, the Fraternity philanthropy changed to mental health awareness, so we unfortunately do not hold reading is key events anymore. We were going through a transition at the beginning of the year, but we got to hold a new fundraiser for the new philanthropy in October. As stated before, we held Biscuits at Bryant Denny in order to raise money for the new Kappa philanthropy. Our members are very passionate about a strong sisterhood and positive environment inside of Kappa, so this new philanthropy was welcomed with open arms. The members loved passing out biscuits before the home game and knowing what the cause was that we were supporting, made it so much more special. During the spring, we were not able to hold a lot of Percentage Days, but in the fall, we got to hold a few percentage days in order to support the new philanthropy.
Chapter Goals:
Operating a chapter amidst a pandemic was hard for chapters across the nation, and our chapter goal was chapter involvement. We continued to hold chapter zoom meetings and operate virtually for a little, which allowed everyone to stay involved and keep Kappa in their hearts during tough times. The pandemic was hard for all, but we strived to keep the sisterhood as normal as possible.
Chapter Philanthropy
What local organization does the chapter support and why? Click or tap here to enter text.
-------------Big Brothers Big Sisters of West AlabamaThe chapter supports this philanthropy in order to impact the children in the Tuscaloosa community. Not only do we financially support this organization, but we usually get to give back by giving our time and reading to the children. Our members are matched with a “little” and we usually get to spend time with the children and help them reach their full potential. This organization allows us to impact our community in multiple ways, which is very important to our members. Also, we get to make lifelong differences in the children’s lives, as well as them impacting ours. The relationships formed through this philanthropy are priceless, and we are extremely lucky to be able to hopefully get back to being in the schools again with the children soon.How did the chapter support Kappa’s philanthropy?With the changes made to the Fraternity philanthropy over the summer, we were excited to think of new ways for our members to get involved philanthropically. The main event we held in order to support Kappa’s philanthropy was Biscuits at Bryant Denny that raised money for the Jed Foundation. This Foundation focuses on mental health, which is a subject that is very important during the current pandemic. We were able to raise money while also spending time with our members and the members of the Tuscaloosa community. With the purchase of a biscuit, one would make a small donation to a very important cause.
'''Note to Chapter Registrar:''' Diversity, Equity, and InclusionPlease refer to How did your chapter archives including include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in your programming this year? (e.g., adding a DEI officer, philanthropy events, social media awareness campaign, chapter meeting minutes training, etc.). Last year, we welcomed a new DEI officer to our executive board, Molly DiMarino. Our Director of DEI did a wonderful job educating our members on the importance of Diversity, Equity, and back issues Inclusion. Many of The Key our members became DEI certified through the SGA at UA, and this allowed students to fill in any gaps participate in open table talks, literature, and forums with people of color and members of the above historical highlightsLGBTQ+ community. If your chapter archives are not complete, please research your university library, The efforts behind this program were to create a more inclusive campus newspaper and yearbook archives our members were thrilled to get involved. This year our president made it a requirement for newsworthy information about your chapteranyone running for our executive board to be DEI certified. Please double check your work This program has been so rewarding for accuracy. Contact chapter Advisory or House Board our members, local Alumnae Association members, or your Province Director of Chapters and has created an inclusive environment for assistanceeveryone in Kappa.
Your efforts will ensure Operating in a complete and accurate history of PandemicHow did your chapter operations change due to COVID-19 (e.g., how did it affect recruitment, initiation, etc. Were events/activities held virtually?). Share what you have done this year. Operating in a Pandemic changed the “norm” of Kappa and it especially changed the Kappa House. We were unable to hold many events that were traditions for future generations the chapter, but the safety of our members was and still is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Limiting dining space and encouraging taking meals home to enjoy!was challenging, but it was important to keep everyone safe and healthy. The virtual chapter meetings kept everyone involved and up to date, but we were all very excited to be back together this year and are still experiencing some limitations. Operating in a pandemic has made everyone more thankful to call Kappa home and to have a place to escape the difficulties that come with these troubled times. We worked tirelessly to keep everyone safe and healthy, including our staff. We even had some sisterhood events over zoom in order to keep everyone involved and in high spirits. We hope to soon go back to completely normal operations, but the safety of our members will always come first.