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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.
We hold chapter meetings in our new chapter house on campus. The house opened in August 2016 and has been of great use to our chapter. Attached ==Highlights of 2017== We began our year in January with our Kappa Leadership day, where we outlined important dates and set our individual and chapter goals. One of our major goals this year was to implement committees to encourage involvement from all members within Gamma Pi. In review, the committees allowed chapter council officers to accomplish more and allowed each member of Gamma Pi to show her leadership ability and increase her involvement with the chapter. In February, we partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama in their biggest fundraiser, the Krispy Kreme Challenge. The whole chapter was able to participate in the 5k fun run/walk and give back to a philanthropy that is important to our chapter. We also were honored at the Alabama Greek Excellence Award's Banquet for our impact on campus. In March, we hosted our annual Parents' Weekend and receive record-breaking feedback of its success. The event catered to 700+ people (parents and members), and was our time to show our immense gratitude to our parents for the opportunity to be involved with Gamma Pi. In April, we hosted a blood drive on Alabama's campus in partnership with Red Cross; this was the largest blood drive on campus this year. Over the summer months, we worked hard for the upcoming recruitment in August. In August, we had amazing success pledging 145 new members to Gamma Pi. Our Marshal worked hard to organize and emphasized the importance of Kappa's Ritual during special education session which we were then able to share with 143 new members during Initiation in October. Throughout the year, our chapter has strengthened our bond with monthly sisterhood events such as baseball games, educational speakers, and ice skating that gave the members time to spend with each other. With such a large chapter, sisterhood events are imperative and truly strengthen our relationship, in addition to being fun activities. As chapter council, we have worked hard to make Gamma Pi an exemplary Kappa chapter. We have made major changes such as implementing committees, strictly holding members accountable, increasing communication with each other and members, and working to increase our chapter GPA, just to name a few examples. But all of this could not have been done without the help and encouragement of each other and our loyalty to our Kappa sisters. Major changes on our campus include construction of new sorority houses. Our house was just completed August 2016; we are lucky to have such a wonderful house! Our chapter consists of 438 active members. We are thankful for the diverse mix of members and the bond Gamma Pi has allowed us to make. Not only is Gamma Pi a source of friendship, but it is also a source of encouragement. We encourage our members to be involved and pursue leadership roles in our chapter, Alabama's campus organizations, and Tuscaloosa's community. We strive for academic excellence and philanthropic involvement within Gamma Pi and individually. Overall, Gamma Pi is a source of encouragement, friendship, and memories that will last a lifetime. '''Philanthropy''' 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 photomentor 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. 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 the 2020s==
