Happy Birthday...to our Fabulous Blog!

One year ago today, the Foundation launched our permanent blog! We'll admit it...at the time, not everyone knew what a blog was, but today, we are all believers in the power of the 'net to reach out to our members from around the world.

Did you know, in our first year...

• We have had over 5,000 hits?
• People have visited our site from 43 different countries?
• Hits from 48 states have been recorded?
• This is the 79th post, meaning we have averaged about 1.5 new posts a week?

The Foundation has loved staying in touch with our sisters through this online tool. In the coming year, we are "Aiming High" and anticipating even more features and more posts. Help us meet this goal by telling us about the wonderful work of our chapters, alumnae and collegians. We'd love to hear from you!

From all of the Foundation Directors, thank you for a wonderfully successful year!

Make A Difference...This Saturday!

Many of you are already planning amazing service projects as part of Make A Difference Day which is this Saturday, October 27. You can visit their website for great ideas at www.makeadifferenceday.com and check out this article that highlights efforts from around the country: http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/2007_articles/071021makeadifferenceday-nfl.html.

Be sure to write to the Foundation at foundation@phisigmasigma.org to tell us about your amazing efforts!

Foundation Announces Founders' Day Campaign to Benefit the 2008 Transplant Games!

The Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation has launched an exciting new initiative to commemorate the founding of Phi Sigma Sigma and celebrate its sisterhood. Participants in the Founders' Day Campaign are asked to contribute $19.13 to the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. Each year, the Foundation board will designate a project or program to benefit from the Founders' Day Campaign. For Founders' Day 2007, the campaign will benefit our support of and participation in the 2008 National Kidney Foundation Transplant Games in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Every sister makes a difference! If just 10% of our collegiate members participate, we will raise more than $7,000. If just 3% of our alumnae members participate, we will raise more than $17,000. Please help us reach our goal of raising $30,000.

We would like to reach all our Phi Sig sisters to spread the word about this special celebration of our Founders; however, we do not have email addresses for many of our sisters. This is where you can help spread the word! Please click the link below to send an e-mail message to Phi Sig sisters in your address book to let them know about our Founders' Day Campaign. It’s a great opportunity to reconnect with your chapter sisters and – more importantly – make a difference for those in need.

Click here to send an e-mail message to your special Phi Sig friends!

Click here to donate to the Founders' Day Campaign!

Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter and Beta Upsilon Support the National Kidney Foundation!

Our very own Kim Hildred, Past Grand Archon and Foundation President, and Judith Distler, Past Grand Archon and Foundation Director, walked this past weekend in the National Kidney Foundation Walk in Washington, DC. Kim and Judith were joined by sisters from the NOVA Alumnae Chapter and Beta Upsilon (American University) sisters. Kim wrote the following post to tell us about their adventures.

We couldn’t have picked a better day to walk to help those with kidney disease at the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk hosted by the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area. I was so proud of the sisters from Beta Upsilon (American University) who got up so early on a Saturday morning during their fall break to live our core value of servant leadership. They, along with the sisters of Beta Alpha (University of Maryland) and the Northern Virginia alumnae chapter raised funds to help fight kidney disease and many joined us in walking to fight kidney disease.

Hearing again about the devastation caused by kidney disease reminded me of the importance of our sorority’s work volunteering and raising funds to help those with this debilitating and sometimes deadly disease. For example, did you know?

• 20 million Americans - 1 in 9 US adults - have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
  and another 20 million more are at increased risk.
• Over 96,000 people are currently on the national transplant waiting list in the United States.
• An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.
• Every 12 minutes another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.
• More than two million Americans die each year, but only 15,000 die under circumstances that make them medically eligible to donate organs.
• Of the estimated 15,000 medically eligible to donate organs, only about 6,000 patients actually become donors.
  

I want to work even harder to make a difference, and I know many of my sisters do too. Spending the day with my phenomenal sisters made our effort even more meaningful.

Judith Distler, Past Grand Archon, Foundation Director and Northern Virginia alumnae chapter member added:

It was a beautiful fall day, the leaves just starting to turn colors, and it was perfect for a 5K walk to support the National Kidney Foundation. We assembled in the Georgetown Park Mall where we found face painters, bagels, water bottles, t-shirts, and other important support items for a event such as this. One of our Phi Sig sisters from American University (Beta Upsilon) even had a Sphinx painted on her face.

The sight of so many Phi Sigma Sigma letters on shirts was thrilling to be sure, and also the fact that, along with the Northern Virginia Alumnae, we were the only Greeks to officially take part in this event. And, we discovered, a photo of us from last year is in the official brochure! Wow!

Next year, we hope to see more of our Alumnae sisters and perhaps some other local chapters represented. Everyone had a great time!

Foundation Director Heather Kelley Conquers Philadelphia 3-Day!

Congratulations to our very own Heather Kelley who completed the Philadelphia 3-Day to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Heather captured her feelings in this touching post for our blog.

Heather wrote,

My exciting 2007 Breast Cancer 3-Day journey is over! This marks my third year walking in the 3-Day, which benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust. This year was also special for me as this year’s
event was held the weekend after my wedding! Only such a fabulous event could take the place of a honeymoon! The 3-Day requires walkers to fundraise at least $2,200 per person while training to walk 60 miles over three days. I’m very proud to say that I’ve raised more than $7,500 during the three years I have walked and that I’ve met some incredible people along the way.

Maybe you would like to hear about the “woman in the yellow car” as she is known to Philadelphia 3-Dayers. She comes out every year as a supporter, following the route, playing music, cheering us on. Her enthusiasm is infectious and when you are feeling down, there she is. Or maybe you’d like to know about the two elderly men who followed us around this year with pink pompoms on their shoes and homemade t-shirts to wear each day. I could tell you about the incredible survivors who walk each year – some who have just finished their chemo treatments… or the 16 year old young woman who walked with her mom, also a survivor. Perhaps you’d like to know about the all volunteer crew who taped our knees, popped our blisters, served our meals, gave us water, patrolled while we slept safely in our tents, and made sure we were safe on the route.

But, I want to tell you about my friend, Melanie, who is an awesome Phi Sigma Sigma alumna from Xi (Temple University). Mel is the person who inspired me to begin this journey three years ago and encouraged me to think outside of the box I had put myself in. We all have ideas about what our personal limitations are (whether others would agree or not). My roadblock has always been athleticism. I’ve always doubted my capabilities and stereotyped myself as someone with no athletic ability. And Melanie forced me to re-evaluate that belief.

Mel first walked in the 3-Day four years ago in California, before the event was over held in Philadelphia. When she told me she was going to walk 60 miles over three days and sleep in a tent for two nights, I laughed in her face and wrote her a check. When she returned, she was completely enthralled with the power of the event. She quit her job, went to work for the company that plans the 3-Day and began recruiting sisters to get involved. A bunch of our friends signed up to walk right away and I began to realize that my negative attitude was what prevented me from joining them in their excitement. I spent a lot of time soul searching and talking to Mel about whether or not I could do this. She encouraged me to just do it and to face my fears about it along the way. The 3-Day is the hardest thing I’ve ever done… all three times, but also the most rewarding.

Although the 3-Day is not a Phi Sigma Sigma event, it’s really all about Phi Sigma Sigma to me. Through Phi Sig, I get to meet amazing women like Melanie…women who challenge me and inspire me… women who embody our core values and belief in the strength of sisterhood. I am thrilled that Melanie and I have decided to take our 3-Day journey in a new direction next year, as members of the volunteer crew. We can’t wait to make a difference in a whole new way.

Xi Chapter Volunteers at MS 150 Bike Tour!

We have been fortunate to hear from a number of chapters who have been engaged in important service work this semester. Keep the emails coming! We'd love to feature your chapter next! We also feature alumnae and collegiate sisters who are making a difference in their communities. Let us know if you know an outstanding sister!

Thank you to the Xi Chapter from Temple University who wrote to the Foundation to tell us about their wonderful service project!

Diane, Xi Chapter Key Advisor, wrote

The women of the Xi Chapter volunteered for the MS 150 Bike Race on September 30, 2007. The Bike Race is a two day trip that begins in Cherry Hill, NJ and goes down to Atlantic City and then ends back in Cherry Hill.

While the date we signed up for was the day after bid day, we had almost half of our 44 new members show up, as well as our initiated sisters.

Throughout the day, we cheered on bikers as they crossed the finish line, handed out over 8,000 slices of pizza to hungry athletes, and worked at various tents doing everything from handing out prizes, to pouring water and handing out luggage.

While waiting for the last bikers to cross the finish line, the DJ played music to keep the crowd energized and involved. At one point, "Its Raining Men" came on the radio which is a song that the Xi chapter had danced to during Greek Week. When the song came on, sisters jumped into song and dance formation and performed for everyone at the finish line. We were able to keep the crowd entertained, and the new members of our chapter were able to see how much fun participating in philanthropies can be.

By the end of the day, the volunteer coordinator had invited us back for next year, and offered all sisters the opportunity to intern with the organization. It was agreed that the MS 150 Bike Race was a favorite philanthropy for sisters and new members alike, and it was a wonderful way for us to start off another fantastic semester of giving back.

You can see more pictures of the chapter in action by visiting this site: http://www.ms150biketour.org/citytoshore/galleries/CTSSUN07B/.

Successful Rock-A-Thon at Zeta Zeta!

Congratulations to our Zeta Zeta chapter at Quinnipiac University for their successful Rock-A-Thon that was held the past weekend. They certainly "Aimed High" and exceeded their goals. The Foundation is so proud of your efforts!

Karolyn, Zeta Zeta Archon, wrote to tell us about it.

Each year, the Zeta Zeta chapter holds their Rock-A-Thon during the Parent’s Weekend of Quinnipiac University. We are extremely pleased to announce that we made $7,000 this year from our philanthropic efforts. By introducing a new theme to our event and putting together really great raffles, we were able to exceed our goals. This year, we chose “Harvest Fest” as our theme for Rock-A-Thon and incorporated games, such as pumpkin decorating contests, and sold “popcorn hands” and other delicious treats. All of our raffle baskets were put together by sisters and we began selling raffle tickets in the Student Center for the week leading up to our event.

Our chapter kicked off the event at 3:30 on Friday, October 12 and we rocked for the next 24 hours - outside! We were joined by each Greek organization for a fun-filled night. Even though it got extremely cold, we kept our spirits high! On Saturday, we had women from our chapter walking around campus selling raffle tickets and encouraging families to come to our table. We are very proud of the success our event brought and the awareness we were able to raise during our Parent’s Weekend.

Make A Difference Day | Saturday, October 27, 2007

By now, you have probably heard about the Foundation's participation in Make A Difference Day...after all, we have received national recognition for our participation in the past!

This year, we want YOU in on the action. We are calling all collegiate chapters, alumnae chapters and even just group of sisters and friends to help make this one of the biggest Make A Difference Day events for Phi Sigma Sigma!

To help you get started, the Foundation has created a step-by-step guide to choosing the right project. You can access our guide by clicking here. You can also get more information by visiting our website at http://www.phisigmasigmafoundation.org/ and clicking on "Awesome Ideas" and then "Service."

After you complete your project, be sure to tell us about it by leaving a comment on the blog or by emailing us at foundation@phisigmasigma.org. We will be featuring chapters for their awesome work on our blog and website to be sure to pass along your information so we can feature YOU!

To learn more about Make A Difference Day, visit their official website by clicking here.