Changes

What organization(s) has your In the Spring, the chapter historicallydonated the books/traditionally raised money forbookmarks to the Baldwin School, or donated hours towhich is purposed towards helping students in underprivileged areas, and came in your community?for reading-groups for an hour of the children’s school day.

Why did your Over the course of 2016, the Zeta Alpha chapter choose this organizationparticipated in many philanthropy events. In the spring semester, we had our semiannual Reading is Fundamental (sRIF) event, which is our national philanthropic partner. For the event, we went to support?a local elementary school and spent time reading with them. Seeing each other so involved and happy to give back was inspiring for all of our sisters. In the spring, we also held our semiannual Kappa Con Queso event, where we serve nachos for 24 hours straight outside of our tower on campus. All of the proceeds, which amounted were donated to RIF. We also partnered with a fraternity on campus, Delta Tau Delta, to host a new philanthropic dunk tank event. All of our proceeds were then donated JDRF - a Type 1 Diabetes Research Funding and Advocacy Foundation.

Dress for Success has been one Over the summer at Kappa Kappa Gamma's 71st Biennial Convention in San Diego, our hard work specifically from 2014 to 2016 was recognized, earning us the Excellence in Chapter Management award and honorable mention in the philanthropy and advisory board categories. It was so rewarding to see all of Zeta Alpha’s our chapter's efforts recognized by the national fraternity!  In the fall, we continued those efforts, holding our faculty-favorite semiannual Professor's Tea, inviting our professors to chat outside the classroom in a more casual setting over light refreshments. We also held our semiannual Scholarship Banquet, where we celebrated our chapter's academic accomplishments. We honored individual sisters as well - those with a GPA of 3.3 or higher received an iris and a 3.5 or higher received a pearl to attach to their badges. We also offered continous academic support throughout the semester in weekly study rooms and sister tutoring. This fall, we also held the annual Founders' Day Event, hosting alumnae, advisors, and two Kappa chapters. Regarding philanthropy, given the new town-mandated rule limiting campus organizations from selling food, we started an exciting new fundraiser called Kappa Klassic, a flag football tournament open to help out especially given our school’s demand the entire campus. With a great turnout for professional business demands including attirethe debut of this event, all of the proceeds were then donated to RIF. The organization aims  With all of the amazingly successful events we participated in or ran over the course of 2016, we were excited to gain new members to help make these events even better in 2017. We added 31 outstanding new members this past spring, our biggest pledge class yet, as well as 5 new members this fall. We are confident these women will do impressive things for our chapter in need searching for jobs all of our future endeavors.  Given the recent controversial elections and campus events related to those elections, our chapter has come together stronger than ever to be appropriately dressed support every sister and their positions regarding these issues. We have participated in outreach events hosted by our sisters that bring conversations to these issues. We have supported with our words and loving actions those sisters who first-hand witnessed or experienced lash outs. And we are increasing efforts to partner with diversity and inclusion organizations on campus to hold events that show our support and alliance with these efforts.  We chose to support Reading is Fundamental because it is our national philanthropic partner. We always love not only raising funds for professional settingsthis organization, but also reading to children at a local elementary school every spring, demonstrating to them both the importance and the enjoyment that comes from literacy.In We chose to support Cradles to Crayons because we feel it supports and aligns with the Springgoals of RIF, our national partner, in providing children with the chapter donated tools and supplies necessary for them to learn. We chose to support the American Heart Association in honor of Valentine's Day! We supported the Kappa Kappa Foundation to support all of our sisters nationally, allowing them to become the books/bookmarks best women they can be.  We supported Mass General by partnering with a fraternity on campus and making cards to brighten the Baldwin Schooldays of children who are sick. For Links of Love, which is purposed towards helping students in underprivileged areaswe again partnered with a different fraternity on campus to make cards to send to a boy named Connor from Natick, a nearby town. Both this event and came in for reading-groups for an hour Links of Love support are primary goal of brightening and enriching the lives of children!  With the children’s school day.new dunk tank event, partnered with Delta Tau Delta, we choes to support JDRF as it is their national philanthropic partner and a cause we believe in as well!