PHILANTHROPY
Throughout the 2015-year Zeta Theta made sure to uphold the philanthropic ideals associated with Kappa Kappa Gamma by participating in many philanthropic events that benefitted both Trinity and the surrounding Hartford area. Some events in which we participated and hosted are as follows:
-Capitol Squash
This : This was a new philanthropy event our chapter participated in twice a week throughout the spring semester, along with other Greek organizations. It is an organization that combines a physical after school activity, squash, and tutoring for elementary school children in the Hartford area.
-Kappa Kisses : We continued our second annual Kappa Kisses Event. We sold “Kappa Kisses” (candy grams with baggies of Hershey kisses) to Trinity Community from Monday, Feb 9- Friday February 13 during lunch and dinner. Our organization did not receive any profits from the fundraiser and donated $1025 to the Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services in Hartford, CT. -Relay for Life At the end of April we contributed our time and donations to the Relay for Life event Trinity held at the end of April. We had 100% participation from our chapter. We were able to raise around $700 for the charity. - Greek Week
Actively involved in planning Greek Week 2014 and planned all philanthropy events/fundraising activities -Relay for Life: At the week end of Greek Week April we contributed our time and donations to the Relay for Life event Trinity held at the end of April. We participated with all other Greek organizations on campushad 100% participation from our chapter. We were able to raise around $700 for the charity.
-Latino Community ServicesGreek Week: Actively involved in planning Greek Week 2014 and planned all philanthropy events/fundraising activities for the week of Greek Week at the end of April. We participated with all other Greek organizations on campus.
-Latino Community Services: Throughout the spring semester members of our organization volunteered in their offices to help benefit the Hartford community.
-Hartford Boys and Girls Club : Members of our organization volunteered weekly at the Boys and Girls club near our campus. This involved offering to help with afterschool activities and homework.
Members of our organization volunteered weekly at -Halloween on Vernon: In conjunction with ACES and Psi Upsilon we helped organize games, face painting, pumpkin carving, and trick or treating for children from the Boys Hartford community. We offered a safe and Girls club near our campus. This involved offering fun environment for children and their families in the Hartford Community to help with afterschool activities and homeworkenjoy Halloween festivities.
-Halloween on Vernon
In conjunction with ACES and Psi Upsilon we helped organize games, face painting, pumpkin carving, and trick or treating for children from the Hartford community. We offered a safe and fun environment for children and their families in the Hartford Community to enjoy Halloween festivities. -Pink Shabbat
We : We raised money and made challah in November to support the Hillel society. We sold t-shirts to support the Hillel center and worked with members of the Hillel center to make challah for the Jewish holidays. This was a great bonding activity for the entire chapter and also allowed for many of us to interact with members of the Hillel center.
INVOLVEMENT OUTSIDE OF KAPPA
The members of Kappa Kappa Gamma are extremely diverse. We are involved in many clubs, teams, and organizations, and many have awards, accolades, and very noteworthy accomplishments. Out of the listed accomplishments and involvements below, many members of Kappa Kappa Gamma are applicable to multiple.
Academics:
Faculty honors
Teachers assistants
Psi chi psychology honors society
Honored for Outstanding Academic Achievements
Teachers assistant for environmental science and winter ecology
Tri beta national biological society
Community:
Feature editor and writers of the Trinity College Tripod
Trinity College Tour Guides
Member
Member of barnyard organization
Mock
Mock Trial members
Student
Student Task Force Member
Mentor
Mentor through ConnectiKids program
Mentor
Mentor through the InterArts program
Student
Student Volunteer at local Hartford Elementary School
Volunteer at the Montessori School
Orientation Leader
Athletics:
We have participated on the following teams: Tennis Team
, Field Hockey Team, Soccer Team, Swimming and Diving Team, Equestrian Team,Dance Team, Club sailing, Club Tennis.
Soccer Team AWARDS: Philanthropy Event of the Year- We were awarded this for our Kappa Kisses event.
Swimming CHAPTER MEETINGS AND HOUSING '''Meetings'''In the spring semester we held weekly meetings in a classroom on campus every Wednesday night due to a majority of our chapter being on campus at the time. In the fall we held our meetings in the living room of our Kappa house because fewer people were on campus. The meetings usually last between 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending upon what needs to be covered in the meetings. We usually discuss any upcoming events that we have as a chapter and Diving Teamwe vote on things that we want to organize and host in the future, whether they be philanthropic or with other organizations on campus. '''Housing'''Two summers ago we moved from 32 Vernon Street Hartford, CT 06106 to 116 Allen Place Hartford, CT 06106. We were fully moved into our new house. We are renting our new house, as we did with our previous house. Our new house is much more up to date than our previous house and is closer to Trinity’s campus. It is in a nicer and safer location due to the fact that our school’s campus safety patrols the Allen place. Five sisters can live in the house and they reside on the second and third floors of the house. Their living space has a kitchen, living area, and bathroom that are separate from the meeting space that is available to all members on the first floor. The first floor offers a kitchen, bathroom, and living area as well. In addition, there is a room with a bed dedicated to hosting visitors from Nationals. As a whole, our new house offers much better accommodations to those living in the house and for the chapter as a whole. ==Highlights of 2016== '''Summary:''' The members of Kappa Kappa Gamma’s Zeta Theta chapter are extremely diverse, yet the nature of our chapter is unified. We are involved in many clubs, teams, and organizations, and many have awards, accolades, and very noteworthy accomplishments. We work well together and treat each other with respect. This summer, we received an honorable mention for academic excellence at the National Convention. We pride ourselves on our academic success and continue to obtain the highest grade point average of all the Greek Organizations on Trinity’s campus.
Equestrian Team'''Chapter Philanthropy:''' Throughout 2016, Zeta Theta made sure to uphold the philanthropic ideals associated with Kappa Kappa Gamma by participating in many philanthropic events that benefitted both Trinity and the surrounding Hartford area. Some events in which we participated and hosted are as follows: Girls Academy: This year we were honored to be one of the 16 chapters, out of 140 chapters across the country, to be selected to hold a Girls Academy. Our chapter partnered with the Greater Hartford Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma and East Hartford middle school to offer 50 girls a unique, educational, day and a half long leadership retreat tailored specifically to the needs of middle school girls. Through the 5 aspects of the acronym GIRLS (Girls, Inspiring, Respect, Leadership, and Service), participants explored the issues of peer pressure, body image, bullying and finding their leadership potential—realities which they are faced with every day. The weekend consisted of a panel of inspirational women, talking about what it meant to be girls, learning about time-management, practicing public speaking, learning how to stand up against bullies, creating vision boards, and having fun! Members of our chapter took on the role of small group facilitators, leadership fair facilitator and logistics, and all sisters attended the graduation ceremony on Sunday where the girls performed skits and were awarded certificates of participation. Kappa Kisses: We continued our tradition of holding the annual Kappa Kisses Event. We sold “Kappa Kisses” (candy grams with baggies of Hershey kisses) to the Trinity Community from Monday, Feb 9th- Friday February 13th during lunch and dinner at dining halls. Our organization did not receive any profits from the fundraiser and donated around $700 to the Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services in Hartford, CT.
Dance TeamRelay for Life: At the end of April we contributed our time and donations to the Relay for Life event at Trinity held at the end of April. We had 100% participation from our chapter and were able to donate to this cause. Club sailingGreek Week: Our chapter was actively involved in planning Greek Week 2016. We planned philanthropy events and fundraising activities for the week of Greek Week at the end of April. We participated with all other Greek organizations on campus. Halloween on Vernon: Every year,in conjunction with ACES and Psi Upsilon, we help organize games, face painting, pumpkin carving, and trick or treating for children from the Hartford community. We offered a safe and fun environment for children and their families in the Hartford Community to enjoy Halloween festivities.
Club TennisPink Shabbat: Zeta theta: We co-sponsored 11th annual pink Shabbat, an event where all the funds raised were donated to Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer.
AWARDSBKind: For the second year, we worked with BKind, which was started to promote kindness in the world through random acts of kindness. Also, all donations to BKind are distributed to all different types of philanthropic projects around the world. During the week of November 13th-19th, as November 13th was National Kindness Day. We promoted random acts of kindness through raising money for BKind, motivational posters, thank you notes to Trinity’s staff, free coffee at our coffee shop, donating meals at dining halls to other students, etc. It was hugely successful and we would plan to partner with this organization in the future.
Philanthropy Event Project PACKS: Every other Thursday, we assisted with the packaging of backpacks for the Charleston house Project PACKS. Project PACKS, which stands for “providing academic change for kindling students,” is a campus organization that aims to help disadvantaged children focus in school. Working together with the YearCharleston House for Interfaith Cooperation, Project PACKS has donated an average of 40 food- We were awarded this for our Kappa Kisses eventfilled backpacks per week to children who receive free or reduced-price meals at school, but may face hunger at home on the weekends.
CHAPTER MEETINGS AND HOUSING Sponsoring "She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry:" Our chapter partnered with the Women & Gender Resource Action Center (WGRAC) and sponsored a showing of this movie that recounts the stories of women who fought for their own equality, and in the process created a world-wide revolution.
Meetings In Partnering with the spring semester we held weekly meetings House of Bread: The House of Bread provides food, housing & shelter, education, medical/psychological, and legal services to almost 2,000 people in a classroom on campus the Hartford area every Wednesday night due to a majority day. At lunch and dinner during the week of our chapter being on campus at the time. In November 9th through the fall 18th we held our meetings in provided the living room of our Kappa house because fewer opportunity for people were on campus. The meetings usually last between 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending upon what needs make food and/or money donations to be covered in the meetingshelp this cause. We usually discuss any upcoming events that we have as a chapter and we vote on things that we want were able to organize and host in the future, whether they be philanthropic or with other organizations on campusraise around $200 for this cause.
Housing Two summers ago we moved from 32 Vernon Street Hartford, CT 06106 to 116 Allen Place Hartford, CT 06106. We were fully moved into our new house. We are renting our new house, as we did with our previous house. Food Recovery Network Thanksgiving fundraiser: Our new house is much more up chapter donated $45 to date than our previous house the Food Recovery Network thanksgiving fundraiser and is closer to Trinity’s campus. It is assisted in a nicer and safer location due delivering food to the fact that our school’s campus safety patrols the Allen place. Five sisters can live in the house and they reside on the second and third floors of the house. Their living space has a kitchen, living area, and bathroom food pantry that are separate from the meeting space that is available to all members on the first floor. The first floor offers a kitchen, bathroom, and living area as well. In addition, there is a room Food Recovery Network partners with a bed dedicated to hosting visitors from Nationals. As a whole, our new house offers much better accommodations to those living in the house and for the chapter as a whole.