Happy Founders' Day!

Dear Sisters, Nearly 100 years ago, ten women with extreme foresight came together in friendship and inclusiveness to create a new sorority – Phi Sigma Sigma. Each November, thousands of collegiate and alumnae sisters from across North America honor our Founders on and around the day of our founding – November 26.

Over the past several weeks, Phi Sigma Sigma has seen has seen an incredible surge of alumnae and collegians stepping forward to commemorate our Founders with generous support for our Founders’ Day Campaign.

Many are wondering, “Is it too late to join?” And the answer is, “NO”!

We hope you’ll seize this final opportunity to participate. More than 200 sisters have responded thus far, raising close to $20,000 in special support of the 2008 NKF Transplant Games.

During this season of giving, we know of no better step you could take in assisting patients across the country who are right now awaiting a lifesaving transplant. Please step forward TODAY your tax-deductible gift to help. Being included is as easy as following this link: https://www.phisigmasigmafoundation.org/donate/founders.php

Every dollar will help support the Foundation’s sponsorship of this vitally important biennial event. Many thanks for your care and concern. Our Founders were visionary leaders and we know that they would be proud that today’s sisters are demonstrating that same leadership by serving others.

Thank you for helping to perpetuate our founding sisters’ legacy of service and best wishes for a happy Founders’ Day.

The Board of Directors of the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation

Just in time for the Holidays...Now you can GoodShop and GoodSearch!

Thousands of sisters have made a contribution to the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation through the click of a mouse without even thinking about it! We're talking about the sisters who have discovered the website http://www.goodsearch.com/ and have designated the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation (Elkridge, Md.) as your charity of choice.

Now, just in time for the busy holiday season, GoodSearch.com has expanded to GoodShop.com. Are you going to order some of your holiday presents online? If so, your purchase can help raise meaningful funds for the Foundation. GoodShop.com features literally thousands of online retailers that you were probably going to shop at anyway.

How? It's easy! Simply go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ or http://www.goodsearch.com/ and designate the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation as your charity of choice. Then, just link to retailers through one of those sites.

Here's some more information from GoodSearch.com:

• How does it work?
  Simply go to www.goodsearch.com and click on the GoodShop link or go to www.goodshop.com. In the “Who do you GoodSearch for” box, choose from one of the thousands of charities and schools already listed in our database or add your favorite cause to our list. Next, click through to our partner retailers and start shopping! A percentage of your purchase will go to your favorite charity or school.

• Am I paying more to shop through GoodShop? Is this any different than buying directly from the retailer?
  Absolutely not! The experience of shopping through GoodShop is exactly the same as going to the retailer directly – you receive the same prices and level of service. The retailers are responsible for collecting payment, shipping and returns.

Happy shopping!

Baltimore and Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapters Celebrate Founders' Day

The Foundation received these beautiful quotes from many of the sisters who attended the Baltimore and Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapters Founders' Day events at Headquarters in Elkridge, Maryland. Enjoy!

Happy Founders’ Day – It is a beautiful fall day, and Headquarters is a perfect place to gather with sisters to celebrate the founding of Phi Sigma Sigma. How wonderful to be here with all of the Sisters, to share our warm memories of Phi Sig life and to know that it is really true that “once a Phi Sig, always a Phi Sig.” - Judith Distler, Past Grand Archon

Today is a wonderful Day for Phi Sigma Sigma. To celebrate Founders’ Day is always special but it’s extraordinary to celebrate with so many sisters. We’re fortunate to have three past Grand Archons here with us. So many wonderful memories have been shared and it’s fantastic knowing that we all have one thing in common…Phi Sigma Sigma. - Christy Smith, Theta Rho, University of Virginia College at Wise

What an honor…to remember the founding of our beloved fraternity with sisters from chapters near and far…and within the beautiful walls of our Fraternity Headquarters! Thank you, Founders, for your vision and courage…may we always live up to your dreams and expectations! LITP, Louise Kier Zirretta, Past Grand Archon

I’m so happy to celebrate Founders’ Day at the Headquarters…just one week after visiting with the wonderful women of Theta Chapter at the University of Illinois! May the Founders be looking upon the Theta ladies over the coming years. I wish you the best of luck with upcoming recruitment. LITP, Jennifer Nevius, Theta, University of Illinois

Celebrating our Founders in such in intimate yet festive way follows in the vision of the Founders of coming together to celebrate sisterhood and friendship. This even has brought together new alumnae with seasoned volunteers to create a great platform for sharing and learning. I love sharing time with my sisters, and to be able to do this at our new home in Elkridge, Celebrating the perpetuity of Phi Sigma Sigma is highly rewarding. LITP, Gretchen Ehle, Kappa, George Washington University

Founders’ Day 2007 – do you think that in 1913 when our Founders started this organization, they envisioned creating an organization where in the next millennium, sisters from across the country would gather in their honor in a beautiful headquarters office to bring Founders Day—my first in more years than many of you have been in this world. Didn’t know if I would make it, but I did and am happy I did. The effort was well worth it. When they say the sorority is a sisterhood they are right on. While I didn’t meet chapter sisters, I met many sisters from many chapters. I’m glad I came and hope to make many, many more events in the coming months. - Victoria Dorf, Beta Nu, Brooklyn College

What an exciting time it is to be celebrating Founders’ Day at Headquarters! This has been an amazing year for Phi Sig with all of the new changes. I think our Founders would be so proud with our growth and direction. I had a wonderful time today meeting other area alumnae and hope we can continue this as an annual Founders’ Day tradition. LITP, Amy Lewis, Gamma Sigma, Virginia Commonwealth University

It’s great to be back up North with so many Phi Sigs in the neighborhood. I am delighted to celebrate Founders’ Day today and to remember our Founders’ twin ideals. I want to thank everyone who has continued to support the Foundation. Thanks to all our $19.13 donors! We appreciate it. – LITP, Nancy Hay (Nash), Foundation Executive Director

Our Founders’ Day celebration at Headquarters was amazing. What a wonderful day remember our Founders who have taught us so much about the importance of serving others, inclusiveness, and advancing womanhood. Thank you Founders for creating Phi Sigma Sigma and through our sisterhood bringing so many phenomenal friends into my life. Thank you Michelle Ardern, Fraternity Executive Director and her staff for sharing our beautiful Headquarters with us and for so many of the staff (Lisa Wallace, Cara Fabrocini, and former staff Nicole Westerfer and Jacqueline Bannigan) for joining us for our celebration. Thanks to those who worked so hard to make the day happen, including Michele Dominiak from the Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter and Rachelle Seeds from the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter. Kim Hildred, Past Grand Archon, Foundation President

Days like today make me appreciate our sorority. Thanks Baltimore and Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapters for co-sponsoring this event! Our Founders' Day celebration at HQ was a time to connect, to reminisce, to catch up with one another. The room was filled with sisters of all ages, from many chapters who all share a special bond. I am always amazed at the power of sisterhood, and thankful for what Phi Sig has brought into my life. Michelle Snyder Ardern, Delta Iota, Central Michigan University, Executive Director

Delta Sigma Participates in NKF Walk

The good news keeps coming! Thank you to the Delta Sigma chapter at SUNY Brockport who wrote to tell us about their experience at the National Kidney Foundation Walk in Rochester, New York.

Katie, the chapter's philanthropy and service chair, wrote to tell us,

On September 29th, some of the sisters from the Delta Sigma chapter took to the zoo and participated in the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Walk! It took place at Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. We even received compliments for being a sorority doing helpful and productive things for our community!

Thank you to the sisters of Delta Sigma and all of our sisters who always "Aim High!"

Zeta Delta and Gamma Iota Make Strides Against Breast Cancer!

The Foundation was delighted to hear from our Zeta Delta chapter (Bentley College) and Gamma Iota (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) sisters about their successful participation in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

Miriam, a sister from Zeta Delta wrote to tell us about their day. She wrote,

On October 14, 2007, Phi Sigma Sigma, Zeta Delta Chapter at Bentley College, participated in the American Cancer Society’s 15th annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.” Our chapter was joined by family and friends, including other Greek chapters from Bentley, Bentley faculty and staff, and the Gamma Iota chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

This year there were 40,000 walkers who raised a record high of 3.25 million dollars. “Phi Sigma Sigma and Friends” contributed $9,000 towards this grand total.

“Phi Sigma Sigma and Friends” was one of over two thousand teams to participate in the walk. Donations from “Making Strides” go towards raising awareness of this disease and provide funding for breast cancer research, advocacy, education, and patient services.

This has been the highest donation that Bentley’s Phi Sigma Sigma has ever made, and it would not have been possible without the contributions given from the Bentley community.

Congratulations on your outstanding support of the American Cancer Society! With more than a hundred chapters throughout North America, Phi Sigma Sigma sisters are making a difference in hundreds of communities. In addition to supporting the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation generously, many chapters choose to contribute their time and talents to important local needs.

Do you have a great story to share? If so, email us at foundation@phisigmasigma.org!