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→Highlights of 2020
==Highlights of 2020==
This year our chapter operations were affected tremendously by the COVID-19 pandemic and the New Mexico state lockdowns. Despite all of the hardships the COVID-19 pandemic and college life brought to us, we tried to stay as connected as possible and hopeful by planning virtual events. Most chapter events were transformed into virtual events with the help of sisters, advisors and specialists. We held our first ever fully virtual initiation ceremony as well as a fully virtual recruitment in the fall. We did have the opportunity to plan a few in-person and socially distanced events as well. For example, the 2020 Big-Little Sister Reveal was held at The Pit (University Arena) where 5 seniors got to welcome the new members of Gamma Beta via a drive by with goodie bags, shirts and festive Kappa gear. We also held our Formal Pledging ceremony in person and we chose to do it 8-9 times so each new member could come to the chapter house while following socially distancing guidelines.
We were pleased to win the 2020 Greek Week trophy after a week of various events: Community service, Greek Sing, Greek Trivia, Greek Week pie in the face, Skate Social and Greek Games. The Founders Day Chapter Awards included: Christy Barker Award to Mariana Rosas, Helen MacArthur Savage Award to Abigale Aldrich, the Rosalie Furry Doolittle Award to Jessica Maxwell, the Footprints Award to Kristin Woodworth, the Sisterhood Award to Payton Fowler, the Barbara Crosby Trechel Award to Emma Hotz, and the Senior Award to Lynn Midani.
Gamma Beta supported a number of philanthropies in 2020: Reading is Fundamental (RIF), The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Girls Academy, Lobothon, Greek Life philanthropies, and other local organizations (school supply and PPE drives for special needs students, donation drive for a homeless student and their family, and blanket making for the Ronald McDonald House). Gamma Beta chooses to support Reading Is Fundamental because we believe that every child deserves the stepping stones and opportunities to receive a full education in the future. By providing guidance, resources, and reading to children, we hope to give children the background in education they may be missing. RIF is so important to our chapter due to the high rates of illiteracy in our state. Reading books to children can help them grow as students in many subjects and provides them with growth in their imagination and possibilities in the world as well. We held a Kappa Karving philanthropy (carving pumpkins) in October to support RIF.
Our chapter implemented an amazing DEI officer in 2020 who created a diversity program for each Monday night meeting. Her programs included "embracing your own diversity" (a group activity where we all filled in what makes us unique on a flower petal and in the center of the flower we wrote a group commonality which were shared with other groups), "Kappa Key" (everyone took time to read through "The Key" and discuss a pioneering alumna who stood out to them personally), education on racism (watching videos on systemic racism) and a presentation about indigenous cultures for Indigenous People Day. Finally, she implemented a book club where we read and discussed race and differences in life paths from a book titled, "The Vanishing Half."
Finally, we celebrated Kappa's 150th anniversary by watching the Facebook Live program produced by Fraternity Headquarters. We also were able to tour the Minnie Stewart Van early in the spring.
==Highlights of 2021==
