|Image= [[File:Eta_Lambda.jpg|200px]]
|Founded= {{start date and years ago|2007|03|31}}
|College= [httphttps://www.luc.edu/ Loyola University Chicago]
|Location= Chicago, IL
|Homepage= [httphttps://chaptersluc.kappakappagammakappa.org/etalambda/ Eta Lambda Homepage]|Media= [httphttps://wiki.kappakappagammakkg.org/index.php?title=Category:Eta_Lambda Media related to Eta Lambda Chapter]}}
'''454 590 initiates (as of June 20162018)'''
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==Highlights of 2016==
This past year has been full of excitement and accomplishment for the Eta Lambda Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our chapter has had a huge presence on the campus of Loyola University of Chicago this year. Loyola University of Chicago is located on Lake Michigan in Rogers Park. The Loyola community has approximately 16,000 students. We currently have 141 active members. Our 141 members present a positive image throughout this exciting and diverse campus. Our chapter strives to impact the Loyola community, as well as communities outside of our own. As we returned from our holiday break in January, we anxiously and excitedly prepared for our Spring Recruitment. At the end of January, we welcomed 65 wonderful women into our chapter. This pledge class became known as “T’s Fleur De Lis.” The members of the new pledge class had their pinning ceremony in February. This pledge class is full of smart, talented, and beautiful women, who have and will continue to make a huge impact on our chapter. We kicked off March with our Big Little Reveal. Shortly after, we had our Initiation Week Inspiration Period leading up to the beautiful Initiation Ceremony for our “T’s Fleur De Lis” pledge class of 2016. We ended the month of March with our Reading is Fundamental Philanthropy event. Our chapter traveled to Bateman Elementary School to read and craft bookmarks with the children. April began with Loyola’s Relay for Life. We participated by creating a team and donating to Relay for Life. We also participated in SAE’s Paddy Murphy Week, which is a week-long philanthropy event that raises money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Through practice and determination, we won the powder puff football game for the third year in a row, and we enjoyed participating in all of SAE’s other events that week, as well. Following SAE’s Paddy Murphy Week, we had a mixer with TKE at our local Bar 63 and Grill. The theme of the mixer was to dress up as your favorite Netflix character. We ended the month of April with a Kappa Cares event organized by our newest pledge class, “T’s Fleur De Lis.” Kappa Cares is something that is very unique and important to our chapter. Each pledge new member class hosts an event, where they raise money and awareness for a philanthropy of their choice. For the month of April, “T’s Fleur De Lis” chose to raise money and awareness for GirlForward by selling hair ties and bagels in our student center. GirlForward is a charity in Rogers Park that helps refugee girls by providing them with mentorship programs, as well as educational help and programs. We were very proud of our newest pledge class for hosting such a great event. Over the summer, three of our Executive Board members traveled to the National Kappa Convention in San Diego, California. Our chapter won “Best National Academic Excellence,” and we also received honorable mention for Recruitment, New Member, and Standards. Our chapter is very proud of these accomplishments. After a relaxing and enjoyable summer, we returned at the end of August for the 2015-2016 academic year. September was a relaxing month. We always make sure to support other Greek Life organizations on campus. In September, we supported and participated in Phi Sigma Sigma’s Field Day and Delta Sigma Phi’s Tugs event. Throughout September, we also prepared for our sisterhood retreat, as well as our semi-formal. Starting in October, our event chairman planned a very fun semi-formal at The Library Gilt Bar. We danced the night away with our sisters and friends. Following semi-formal, we had a sisterhood retreat at Camp Henry Horner. We all participated in small group activities, as well as activities involving the whole chapter together. The retreat was a perfect time for reflection and bonding with the whole chapter, and it made our sisterhood even stronger. We ended the month of October by participating in and raising money for Sigma Chi’s annual Derby Days Philanthropy event. As we participated and supported the Greek Life community and their events to kick off the semester, we were anticipating our own fun-filled philanthropy month of November. November was a very exciting month for our chapter, as we hosted our first annual “Kappapalooza” philanthropy event, and we also participated in Girls Academy. A group of girls from our chapter went to Carl Sandburg Middle School and worked with seventh and eighth grade girls. We taught them about leadership, body image, and ways to deal with bullying. It was a great time for these middle school girls to have fun and open up to the understanding and inspiring women in our chapter. Following Girls Academy, we hosted our very own philanthropy event on Loyola’s campus. We were thrilled to host and introduce our brand new philanthropy event, Kappapalooza. Our week-long event involved all of Loyola Greek Life, and we raised money for Chicago-based charities. We kicked off the week by tabling in Damen and passing out candy and wristbands promoting Kappapalooza. We tabled every afternoon of the week. On Tuesday of the week, we hosted the first Big Man On Campus (BMOC) event to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Chicago. Any man from any organization on campus was allowed to participate, and they were coached and escorted by a sorority on campus. There were three rounds for the men to represent themselves and their organizations, including fashion, questions, and talent. It was a very exciting, fun, and enjoyable event that was a great success. Thursday was our next big event for the week, and we called it Kappasta. We sold “all you could eat” Maggiano’s pasta and bread. During this event we raised money for The Greater Chicago Food Depository. We ended the fun-filled Kappapalooza week with our Kappa Kicks event. We hosted a soccer tournament for the different organizations on campus, and we raised money for American Scores Chicago. Overall, we had a very successful philanthropy week, and we raised close to $8,000 for these three Chicago-based charities. We are thrilled and very excited to host another Kappapalooza next year. We ended the year with a Kappa Cares event at the beginning of December. We partnered with the Crohns and Colitis Foundation to raise money and provide information about the disease. We chose the Crohns and Colitis Foundation because it has affected a few women in our chapter, so we felt strongly toward raising awareness for this foundation. We tabled in our student center and sold Molly’s Cupcakes for the cause, and we raised $163. This year was an exciting year for Eta Lambda, and we are anxiously anticipating adding more wonderful women to this organization. Kappa Kappa Gamma Eta Lambda is looking forward for what next year has in store for us, as we will continue to strive to impact each other, as well as the community around us. ==Highlights of 2017== Kappa Kappa Gamma Year In Review: 2017Loyola University Chicago’s Eta Lambda Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma is made up of one hundred and sixty four women. These women are academically driven, involved both within and outside the Loyola community, and strive for greatness in every aspect of their lives. Our chapter is comprised of well rounded women who aid Kappa Kappa Gamma in its continuing efforts to prosper and thrive. This year was one of growth for Eta Lambda, and often times with growth comes a learning curve. However, the women of this chapter handled any hurdle faced with grace and the utmost respect for our organization as a whole. In the past twelve months we have shared some of the deepest laughs, strongest hugs, greatest sorrows and most joyous times; experiencing pinnacle life moments with women, who have gone from strangers to sisters.This past January, Loyola University Chicago’s Panhellenic Council held the largest recruitment weekend in its’ history. It was a weekend full of excitement, bonding with our sisters, and the anticipation of a new member pledge class. On our “Dream of Kappa” themed bid day, Eta Lambda extended bids to seventy six amazing women.Then came February, a month where Kappa embodied the true meaning of sisterhood. Eta Lambda’s former Registrar and House chairman was hospitalized for the entire spring semester without a diagnosis. In this difficult time for our sister, our chapter stepped up. Our sisters visited her in the hospital, started a fundraising campaign for her family, involved the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, and held fundraising events throughout campus which ultimately transpired into a community wide effort.At this semester’s new member retreat, our newest pledge class, Katie’s Kweens were able to start creating the sisterhood within their pledge class that elder members of the chapter have come to appreciate. They were able to strengthen the friendships that make Kappa feel more like a sisterhood. With the end of February came Big/Little reveal where Bigs created matching t-shirts for themselves and their Littles. As Big and Littles began to get to know each other more, Bigs helped guide their Littles into Inspiration Period. After initiation our Kappa Sisterhood grew by seventy one women. Seventy one women who are kind, ambitious, involved, self-starters; all of whom are driven to further propel Kappa forward in the years to come. This March we celebrated Eta Lambda's 10 year anniversary. Fifteen women from the founding pledge class came together for the weekend to celebrate and reconnect. Together, past and present members of Eta Lambda enjoyed brunch and a campus tour. We also hosted Women’s Weekend, where our sisters invited a significant woman from their life to visit. During our Sunday brunch, we shared the value of philanthropy with our woman. In addition to collecting books and donations for our philanthropy Reading is Fundamental, we created bookmarks and made cards for a sister who was going through a tough time. This weekend epitomized our ideal of donating our time, not just our money. We kicked off April by participating in Relay for Life. We helped contribute to raising over $100,000 to help the fight to end cancer. We concluded the month by taking formal to the lake; dancing the night away with our sisters on the Odyssey, a boat at Chicago’s Navy Pier. We then sent our senior sisters off with heartfelt letters and a brunch to remember and celebrate their cherished years in Kappa. With May came graduation and the start of a summer where our sisters spanned the globe. Kappas went abroad, worked in various industries across the nation, volunteered, spent time with family, and prepared for another school year ahead.September marked the start of another year and the return of our Kappa sisters. Devon’s Darlings, the senior pledge class, kicked off the year with a Kappa Kares event to raise money for epilepsy, a cause near and dear to a few of our sister’s hearts. We tabled in Damen to raise awareness and collect donations for the Epilepsy Foundation. Along with our own philanthropic efforts, we attended various events across the greek life community. We joined Phi Sigma Sigma for their Phield Day and played a riveting game of kickball to benefit the Kids in Need Foundation. In addition to this, we participated in Sigma Chi’s week long philanthropy event, which was in support of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. We were able to get involved by performing a New Orleans themed dance at their final event for Derby Days. In October, Eta Lambda supported Delta Sigma Phi at their Tugs event to help raise money for the American Red Cross. These efforts came at a crucial time to help support the Red Cross’ effort in providing national aid as our nation grappled with a series of natural disasters. This support embodied the idea that when it comes to philanthropy, the Greek life community bands together to support meaningful causes. T’s Fleur De Lis hosted a Kappa Kares event to raise awareness for Curvy Girls, an organization empowering young women with scoliosis. We hosted a semi-formal at a fun venue, where our sisters spent a night on the town enjoying each other’s company. October concluded with our largest philanthropy event of the year, Kappapalooza. It was a weekend long extravaganza that kicked off with an all you can eat pasta night to raise funds for our national philanthropy, Reading is Fundamental. Friday we hosted Kappa for Kids. Members of the Loyola community created encouraging bookmarks to promote literacy. The weekend concluded with our main event, Kappa Kicks. Teams from all different organizations on campus came together to play friendly games of soccer in support of our efforts to spread awareness about childhood illiteracy. The weekend was a success and Kappa was able to shine light and educate the Loyola community about an overlooked issue faced by many. At the end of this month, Kappa was proud of our new member pledge class, Katie’s Kweens, for receiving the highest new member pledge class GPA from Panhellenic.This November we held one of our most cherished academic recognition events, Pearl Ceremony, a tradition that has been passed on through our chapter. Each semester, we honor the hard work and determination of the women who have received a GPA of 3.8 or higher with a pearl to put on their pin. While this Pearl Ceremony is not considered ritual of Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity, it has been passed down over the years as an Eta Lambda tradition that we continue to honor.This past year, Eta Lambda chapter grew not only in terms of membership, but also within Greek life and Loyola’s community at large. Over the year, we learned that Kappa is so much more than just a women’s organization. We are sisters who truly care about each other and the causes that we support. Every day, but especially in times of hardship, we are incredibly grateful to be members of Kappa Kappa Gamma - an organization filled with women of character and integrity. ==HIghlights of 2018== This year was rather eventful for the Eta Lambda chapter. We inducted a phenomenal group of new members in January, confident that they would carry the key with grace and tenacity. In April, Kappa was involved with Relay for Life on campus. We raised over $5,000 for the cause, and every member of Kappa was present at the event. Later in April, We had our own philanthropy: a Reading is Fundamental Book Donation Day. For RIF, we went to New Field Elementary School. There we were able to help distribute books to children of every age and background. The excitement of the children as they picked out their books was absolutely adorable. After the children picked out their books, members of Kappa sat down with them to help start reading or color a bookmark for their new book! We donated a plethora of books for every age with options for bilingual students. The children were very appreciative of this opportunity to further their reading abilities. As the semester was winding down it was announced a new Chapter of Kappa Delta was being established at Loyola. Many girls in KKG took this opportunity to welcome them to campus and introduce them to Chicago. At the national convention over the summer, we received an award of Most Outstanding Board and the Gracious Living Award as well as honorable mentions for awards in Academic Excellence, Panhellenic, Recriutment, and Finance. In September, we had a successful Womens Weekend and Sisterhood Retreat in which we celebrated the power of women and the strength of sisterhood. We also celebrated the phenomenal academic success of the women of Eta Lamba as over 51 members had a GPA over 3.80. We began a new tradition called the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Key" in which sisters who have demonstrated KKG values receive a special key necklace that they get to don with honor for the next week. In October, we successfully launced the new pilot structure. Girls Academy, although it did not take place this semester, was expertly planned, and our GA Chairwoman elegantly manuevered a difficult situation and was able to keep the girls in mind despite all of the obsticles in her path. In November, we held a special Philanthropy Event in which we created birthday cards for Mikey, the cousin of one of our sisters, who had to spend his 4th birthday in the hospital finishing up his last round of chemo. We were able to rally not only our sisters, but also several members of the Loyola Greek community to try to make Mikey's birthday extra special. Our main Philanthropy Event for the spring semester was a major success in which we raised over $5,000. Additionally, several sisters were highly involved in the midterm elections, from offering rallying advice to driving people to polling places, Eta Lamba was determined to share out voices to help shape the country. We elected a new council using the new structure. We are convinced that they will carry this chapter through another successful year. The main change that impacted the chapter this year was the change to the council structure. We are excited and anticipatory to make this change the success we know it can be. We appreciate the new structure's ability to offer more leadership positions of various levels of responsibility so that more of our sisters can utilize their unique skills to benefit the chapter. We enjoy the structure's format in that it spreads the responsibility creating a truly supportive environment for our council officers. We have three teared philanthropy so that we can maximize our ability to help others. We support Reading is Fundemental because we realize the importance of reading education and believe that every child, regardless of their parents' economic status, deserves access to engaging books. We support Girls Academy because we want to empower young women, offer them good, relatable role models, and help guide them through a tough social time for most girls. We support several local organizations through out monthly Kappa Kares events because we want to support numerous causes that are close to the hearts of our sisters and work with organizations in our local communities. ==Highlights of 2019== Starting off 2019, Eta Lambda welcomed Leadership Consultant Katy to Chicago. Members of council met with her to discuss goals for their year, while the chapter as a whole had fun showing her the city and all there is to love about Chicago. During the weekend of Jan 25-27th, Eta Lambda successfully recruited a new member class of intelligent, down-to-earth, and compassionate women. Then, in February, the chapter formally welcomed the newest members into Eta Lambda during our formal pledging event where they received their new member pins. All amidst Chicago’s polar vortex! Then, Eta Lambda bonded during a Galentine’s event where women made cards for each other. Members also had the opportunity to partake in a Secret Galentine’s program to surprise someone in the chapter with a little gift. To close out the month of February, the chapter hosted its members and their guests at our Date Party event at Tunnel. In March, we held our highly anticipated Big/Little Reveal, where new members found out who their big sister and mentor for their time in Eta Lambda would be. The following week, we began Inspiration Period in preparation to initiate our new members. On March 23rd, Eta Lambda was thrilled to initiate 66 driven, kind, and enthusiastic new members into Kappa Kappa Gamma. During the month of April, we held our annual Senior Say, a tradition where we honor our seniors with a potluck followed by a senior Flower Ceremony. To kick off our philanthropy event for Reading is Fundamental, our members had the opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of RIF! The following day, the day our members celebrated our big RIF event at New Field Elementary by traveling to the school to donate books and read with the children. We also celebrated formal during the month of April! Our members had a great time dancing and socializing with each other to close out another productive school year. In August, the sisters of Eta Lambda arrived back on campus to start another academic year. During the month of September, we joined Pi Kappa Phi in a Bob Ross themed mixer and hosted our annual philanthropy event, Kappapolooza. The mixer was held on Loyola’s campus and was a fun way for the Kappa sisters to get to know the new fraternity. For Kappapolooza this year, our members were able to get involved by tabling all week in order to raise money and awareness for RIF. During the week there was a Kappa Karnival that included a soccer tournament and other carnival activities. It was a great atmosphere for everyone who came out and great food to go along with it. In addition, we hosted our first ever RIF Off event. The RIF Off was a pageant-like show where the male contestants performed an individual talent, a dance routine, and had to answer audience’s questions. Three winners were then able to be chosen based on which contestant raised the most money, who the judges liked the most, and who won the audience’s vote. Overall, we were able to raise $4,500 for Reading is Fundamental during the week! In October, our chapter embarked on our annual Sisterhood Retreat at Camp Henry Horner. Our members had the opportunity to bond and get to know each other through small group sessions, games, and activities. At retreat, our members also had the chance to celebrate Kappa’s 149th anniversary through activities and stories about our organization’s founding. In November, our chapter held its annual Women’s Weekend, organized by our Member Engagement Director, where each chapter member had the opportunity to bring important women in their life to campus. Our members enjoyed getting to meet and hear from such influential women in our sister’s lives throughout the weekend. Towards the end of November, Eta Lambda elected a warm and encouraging Council to serve us during the 2020 calendar year. Additionally, our Events Director planned an incredible Semi Formal in November that members raved was, “the best social event since joining Eta Lambda!” We loved getting to celebrate and interact with each other before finals in December. Over the last year, the Greek community welcomed two new organizations, Kappa Delta and Pi Kappa Phi. The women of Kappa Delta participated in their first formal recruitment in January, welcoming an amazing class of women to the Greek community! Our members have supported the women of Kappa Delta in their philanthropic events supporting Girl Scouts and as Greek “big sisters”. In September our chapter had a great time getting to know and welcome the men of Pi Kappa Phi to campus with a Bob Ross themed mixer. Eta Lambda has had a lot of growth and progression over the last year. The women of Eta Lambda have been working hard to understand and implement the new council structure and to increase member engagement. In doing so, our members have shown great dedication and passion for the health and long term prosperity of our chapter. Our member’s devotion and love for not only each other, but the organization as a whole, has continued to propel us towards our chapter goals and a better future for Eta Lambda. In addition to our ongoing support for Reading is Fundamental, GIRLS Academy, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma foundation, Eta Lambda supported PAWS Chicago, Stewart’s Caring Place, Danish Home of Chicago, and Apna Gar through our monthly Kappa Kares events this year. chapter has had a long standing relationship and support for PAWS Chicago, a local animal shelter with a dedication to preventing and encouraging “no kill” animal shelters. At the beginning of 2019, Eta Lambda’s founding president Laura Allio passed away from breast cancer. In honor of her, our chapter supported Stewart’s Caring Place, an organization near and dear to Laura’s heart that supports patients and families facing cancer. During the Halloween season, our members were able to provide comfort and support for senior citizens during the Halloween season by making Halloween cards for the residents at the Danish Home of Chicago. As members of the Chicago community, Apna Ghar is an organization close to our members that provides holistic support for immigrants in the Chicago area. " ""
==Highlights of 2020s:==
Loyola University Chicago Kappa Kappa Gamma Eta Lambda Chapter 2020 History Report:
2020 Eta Lambda Summary:
To begin 2020, the new Eta Lambda Chapter Council met to discuss goals and ideas for the upcoming year during our annual Council Leadership Day. Then, Eta Lambda introduced our chapter to perspective members at the Loyola Chicago organization fair. In the final weekend of January, members finished their preparations for spring recruitment by attending the Panhellenic bylaws workshop.
In the first weekend of February, Eta Lambda welcomed 71 amazing, intelligent and ambitious new members into our chapter during spring recruitment. Then, the chapter formally welcomed our new members during our formal pledging event. On February 20th, we had our first formal event of the year, date party, at Happy’s Bamboo Bar & Lounge, where our members and guests danced and bonded with each other. Following our date party, new members attended their new member retreat where they learned more about Kappa Kappa Gamma and each other. To finish the month, our chapter held a successful wellness workshop to help members refocus, relax and reset.
March began with Eta Lambda members taking time away from their studies and enjoying their spring breaks. Following spring break, Eta Lambda began initiation preparations with new member meetings and ritual reviews. Eta Lambda also celebrated a cumulative chapter G.P.A of 3.51! But then, unexpectedly, just as quickly as the 2020 began, it came to an abrupt halt. On March 12th, 2020, Loyola sent out an urgent email to inform students that all classes would be
moved to an online format and campus would be shut down due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) world-wide pandemic. COVID-19 hit the world by storm. It was unbelievable, scary and unprecedented. COVID-19 would change everyone’s way of life for the foreseeable future, including members of Eta Lambda. Because of this, Eta Lambda was forced to move all events to an online format, encouraged to prioritize the health and safety of our members and take on this new challenge with the support of our sisters. For the duration of March, everything was quiet. Eta Lambda, and everyone else across the globe, took time to regroup, pause and prepare for what was to come.
In April, Eta Lambda Council continued to encourage and support its members the best they could with virtual events, online fitness classes, email updates and social media outreach. To prepare for the Fall 2020 semester, Eta Lambda held a virtual registration workshop via Zoom (a video chat platform) to help members pick out their classes and give them a space to ask questions.
In May, as the semester ended, Eta Lambda held one final celebratory Zoom chapter to say farewell to the graduating seniors and end the academic year on a positive note. All members took their final exams online and prepared for an unusual summer in quarantine. Then, on May 7th, 2020, Eta Lambda initiated its new members via a virtual Zoom initiation with the help of Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquarters. Eta Lambda was ecstatic to officially welcome our fantastic new members as sisters of the golden key, even if the circumstances were not ideal. Also, Eta Lambda found out that our chapter was awarded the “Most Outstanding Community Involvement” and “Most Outstanding Philanthropy Program” for the 2020 Sorority and
Fraternity Life Awards. Eta Lambda was very excited and grateful to be recognized for all of our hard work. Eta Lambda then bid a sad farewell to its 52 senior members, who were unfortunately unable to finish their Kappa Kappa Gamma experience the way they had anticipated. Eta Lambda will miss their seniors dearly, and wish them the absolute best.During the months of June and July, Eta Lambda did its best to keep members connected as the COVID-19 pandemic continued. Also, Eta Lambda Council created its first online summer newsletter to help keep members engaged and updated. The summer months were difficult for many members, but Eta Lambda sisters continued to support each other in any way they virtually could. Although we were hopefully about the Fall 2020 semester, Loyola University Chicago sent out an email informing students that all classes and many campus activities/resources would continue to be online through the rest of the semester, including Greek Life functions. So, Eta Lambda Council began to prepare for a fully online semester. The climate of the world was hostile, as political tension and human rights issues grew larger amidst the presidential election year and the pandemic. The world seemed to be changing as we knew it, and members were encouraged to stick up for what they believe in and make a difference, no matter how small, in whatever way they felt comfortable.Then, in August, Loyola University Chicago held an online organization fair that Eta Lambda attended, where we introduced our chapter to prospective new members via Zoom. Classes resumed on Monday, August 24th, as all students began to get into the routine of a fully-online semester. At the end of August, Eta Lambda held its first virtual chapter of the semester, where members were able to finally interact after a long summer apart. September was our Kappapalooza philanthropy event. Eta Lambda did its best to hold our philanthropy virtually, with online donations and online activities. This gave Eta Lambda members a chance to connect with the Loyola community and ask for support for our charity, Reading is Fundamental. Eta Lambda also held its first virtual formal chapter, where members still dressed formally and wore their pins, even though we could only see each other through a computer screen. During this formal chapter, Eta Lambda celebrated its members academic success through a virtual Pearl Ceremony, where members who got a 3.8+ GPA received a pearl for their achievements. New member meetings picked up online where they left off in the previous spring semester. A virtual Flower Ceremony/Pinning Ceremony was held for the new members online, where ‘Bigs’ were able to say some kind and encouraging words about the new members during the ceremony. Additionally, another meeting was held for the new members to explain to them the ritual and history behind Kappa Kappa Gamma and its initiation ceremony, which is something they were unable to fully comprehend or experience because of their initiation being online in the spring. Eta Lambda tried to make these experiences as special for the new members as possible, despite the circumstances. September ended with a socially- distanced “Kappa Kares” event, where we supported a philanthropy that is special to Eta Lambda, the “WINGS” organization that’s mission is the “break the cycle of domestic violence.” Eta Lambda collected donation materials from members to give to this organization.In October, Eta Lambda held an online formal chapter where the Nomination Committee was elected and election practices were explained. Eta Lambda also held a virtual Founders Day Celebration for Kappa Kappa Gamma’s 150th Founders Day. To celebrate, members took an online quiz about Kappa Kappa Gamma history, watched a short clip about Kappa Kappa Gamma’s founding, looked at many of the Kappa Kappa Gamma archives together and had a few Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae come to speak about their experiences as a life-long member. It was a very exciting and fun celebration, even though it was not in-person. Then, at the end of October, Eta Lambda held another “Kappa Kares” event about sisterhood, where members were encouraged to engage with each other online and in person (if socially distanced, wearing medical masks and comfortable), in order to promote mental health and overall wellness during this unprecedented and difficult time. By the end of October, Eta Lambda had to begin thinking about spring 2021 recruitment, which would be all virtual, so Council held its first recruitment workshop to kick off the recruitment season ahead.November began slowly for our chapter, and the rest of the Greater Chicago Area, as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began. Extra precautions were put in place at Loyola, and many members decided to go home to prepare for what was ahead. Despite this, Eta Lambda wanted to hold a sisterhood event, in lieu the cancelled “Girls Academy” event (cancelled due to COVID-19), to encourage members to think introspectively, think about women empowerment and connect more deeply with each other. This event greatly boosted Eta Lambda member’s moral during a very tough time. In mid-November, election night was held during an online formal chapter. Eta Lambda Council prepared for the voting practices and procedures to be fully virtual, yet still accurate and confidential. During this chapter, the new Council for the year 2021 was elected, and Eta Lambda was proud and overjoyed by the members chosen to fulfill their duties and carry on the legacy of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The following week after elections was transition week, were new council and old council began to transition and connect with each other to ensure the success of the 2021 year. As November came to a close, Eta Lambda held one last final chapter, where officer transitions were made and another Pearl Ceremony was held. Following our final chapter, many Eta Lambda members and Loyola students returned home for Thanksgiving break and the duration of the semester, as campus would completely shut down after Thanksgiving.December was a quiet month for Eta Lambda because many members had left Chicago to return home for the holidays and were focusing on finals. Members continued to support each other in whatever ways they could, and were excited and hopeful for the new, and hopefully better, year that was ahead.Eta Lambda Philanthropy:This year, Eta Lambda supported the following philanthropies: Reading is Fundamental, WINGS, L4 (“Live Life Like Laura,” the philanthropy for a Kappa Kappa Gamma alumna that passed away from cancer) and Osteosarcoma Research at the Cleveland Cancer Clinic.Eta Lambda Founders Day Celebration:Eta Lambda celebrated Kappa Kappa Gamma’s 150th Founders Day virtually on Zoom. Eta Lambda began the celebration with a fun online quiz for members to participate in regarding Kappa Kappa Gamma history. The winner of the quiz was emailed a Starbucks gift card! Then, members watched a video that explained the story and history about how Kappa Kappa Gamma was discovered and how it came to be what it is today. After the video, the chapter looked at a lot of Kappa Kappa Gamma archives to remember the sisters that came before us and connect with them through their memories. The finish the celebration, our chapter invited a few alumnae to the Zoom call, where they answered members questions and shared fond memories about their experiences in Kappa Kappa Gamma. Overall, the celebration was a success and a very warm light during a dark time in the world.----------------
'''Note to Chapter Registrar:'''
Your efforts will ensure a complete and accurate history of your chapter for future generations to enjoy!
==Highlights of 2021==
To kick off the semester was our first Cooking with Kappa’s event where we made cinnamon roll muffins. At the end of January, Eta Lambda took place in primary recruitment where we welcomed 34 new members. We celebrated them through our bid day theme of on Cloud 9, where we did icebreakers and introduced our lovely new members. In early February, our new members pledged their name and interest to Eta Lambda, where they would dedicate themselves to learning about Kappa Kappa Gamma for the weeks leading up to Initiation. February was focused on strengthening the bonds of our sisterhood. We began our Letters & Lovers, where all members of our chapter would partner with someone within Eta Lambda every week. It allowed us to get to know more wonderful women in our chapter. Another Cooking with Kappa was hosted, where women of our chapter made fresh guacamole, through a virtual Zoom call across the United States. Eta Lambda conducted a Sister Speed Dating event, which helped to introduce our new members to our current members. The night consisted of silly and interesting questions, in order to get to know the women of our Chapter better. Eta Lambda conducted a Kappa Kares Food Drive over two days for the Brave Space Alliance, where over 600 items were donated. Brave Space Alliance was overwhelmed with donations and ended up donating the remaining donations to the Lake View Pantry in Andersonville. To end February, Eta Lambda had a Self Defense Class with Mind Body Defense Chicago, where we learned to be more aware of our surroundings and know how to protect ourselves in unsafe situations. In the beginning of March, we had a Kappa Game Night, where members played Hot Seat, answering a series of questions within a minute. We also had a DEI Workshop, which was Eta Lambda’s first workshop to recognize the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In the middle of March, Eta Lambda went through our inspiration period, leading up to the initiation of our new members. The week consisted of our Big-Little Reveal and our Senior Say, where seniors left their final advice for the women of Eta Lambda. On March 20th, 34 members were initiated into the Eta Lambda chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, by a virtual initiation. There was also another Cooking with Kappa’s event where we made no bake energy balls, that helped Kappa’s power through their week. While we normally have our Sisterhood Retreat in the Fall, the Chapter decided on having another one in March, to help keep everyone in touch and continue to strengthen our sisterhood. Following Initiation, Eta Lambda had a sisterhood week that consisted of a week of events from a Chipotle fundraiser, a KKG Trivia Game Night, a spirit night, a group workout, and a movie night. These events led up to our Virtual Formal, which had a mask-querade theme. The Women of our chapter danced the night away, despite being apart, and even had a mocktail, Blue & Blue created by our Events Director. Our Courage to Commit Workshop was hosted by Julia Dixon, where Eta Lambda went over DEI, understanding explicit and implicit bias, knowing how to stand as partners, allies and/or champions, as well as an inclusive leadership, benefits of diversity, and inclusion in action. To end March, our Academic Excellence Director hosted a Career Panel, where many alumni introduced their accomplishments to the chapter and how Kappa Kappa Gamma has helped them in their success. To start off April, Eta Lambda hosted a virtual Reading is Key week where it was promoted by social media and a book drive to end the week. Eta Lambda successfully raised $3k. We hosted an in-chapter Girls Academy for our chapter, where we played gamed virtually and wrote letters to students of Newfield Elementary. Throughout April, Eta Lambda hosted many workshops from women empowerment, health and wellness, sustainability, and pre-registration. Our monthly Cooking with Kappa’s, Eta Lambda made the famous TikTok Feta Pasta. As our last sisterhood event of April, we had a movie night where we watched Another Cinderella Story. To end April, we hosted senior events to commemorate the wonderful women graduating by a photoshoot, a brunch, and a send-off, where littles read a letter to their big. To end the semester, was pre-finals workshop where we all prepared for the week of finals ahead of us and anticipated our reunion in the Fall semester.
Eta Lambda takes part in Kappa Kares, where each month a new organization that is held close to a member within Eta Lambda is able to share with the Chapter. The Chapter fundraises with local companies or hosts drives, for what the local organization needs the most. It grows awareness of the issues that individuals within our Chapter our concerned about, outside of our national philanthropy. Members of Eta Lambda participated in food drives, Chipotle and Blaze fundraisers. This year we hosted a virtual Reading is Key week, where we raised money virtually as well as having hosted a covid-safe book drop off. Students from Newfield Elementary were able to bring home a book of their choice.
Eta Lambda recognizes our role in promoting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our Chapter voted on representatives from each pledge class, in which would come up with our chapter statement when it comes to addressing issues within our chapter and outside of our chapter. We had many workshops about recognizing our roles within chapter and society.
Due to COVID-19, our Spring events were all hosted virtually. Recruitment and Initiation took place online.