As I was packing for Convention this year, I got to thinking about the way that Phi Sigma Sigma has been there for me throughout my life... when I needed to connect with people in college, Phi Sig was there. When I moved to a new city after grad school and needed to make friends, Phi Sig was there. In fact, as I look over my past, Phi Sig has been an important part of almost half my life. And now, as my perspective on life has changed - as I have a new little legacy to fill my days (and nights - let us not forget those) with joy, I'm really happy that Phi Sigma Sigma will continue to be there for me... because it will also be there for Chloe.
They say that the alumnae years are the giving years and maybe that's true, but in the warmth of my sisters' love, I realize that I'm getting quite a lot, too. We, on the Foundation board, hope that all of you take a moment this weekend - whether you are here or not - to reflect on the strength and wonder of this amazing sisterhood.
With love, Heather Kelley Foundation Secretary
P.S. from Chloe I couldn't help but notice the large package of baby goodies in the Foundation auction this year. Lamaze toys. Lots of them. Mommy better plan accordingly or there will be fussing. Bid high, Mommy. Bid high.
... We'll be preparing for the Foundation dinner at Convention, 2009! The directors of the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation are excited to be meeting with so many sisters next week in Norfolk, VA. We thank you in advance for your support of the Foundation's mission and vision and we look forward to sharing in the warmth of your sisterhood.
When you stop by the Foundation table next week, please take a moment to talk with us about the exciting work you have undertaken this year. We want to hear all about your successful Rock-a-Thons, your passionate philanthropic work and all of the things that make your chapter stand out.
We will be having a whole lot of fun with you during our time together in Norfolk... between the First Annual Euchre Tournament, the Foundation dinner and auction, and the delivery of all those Heart to Hearts, you will be seeing the Foundation directors quite a bit.
But in the meantime, pack those white dresses, double check your itinerary and get set for a fantastic few days! We'll see you soon!
We received this wonderful email from our friends at the National Kidney Foundation. We hope you will take a few minutes this month to reflect on our sisterhood and our amazing philanthropic efforts with the National Kidney Foundation and Kidney Foundation of Canada! Happy Kidney Month!
Happy National Kidney Month! This March, the National Kidney Foundation urges Americans to get to know two humble, hardworking organs: the kidneys. To help raise awareness and appreciation for all the vital functions the kidneys perform, the National Kidney Foundation is encouraging Americans to learn more and take steps now to preserve kidney health. March 12th is World Kidney Day, the perfect time to get to know your kidneys and find out if you're at risk.
You can also send personalized World Kidney Day E-Cards to friends, family, doctors and nurses. Why wait until loved ones get sick to send a card wishing them well? Our customizable e-cards offer life-saving prevention messages as well as the opportunity to thank health care providers for doing their best all year round.
Congratulations to our Epsilon Xi chapter at SUNY Oneonta for making headlines with their wonderful service endeavors. The chapter raised $17,000 through developing a Kidney Walk. Read more about their efforts here:
I wanted to take the opportunity to wish each of you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009! I am proud to serve as the Foundation President and work with each of you to continue the legacy of service that runs through the core of Phi Sigma Sigma. Each New Year, I find myself increasing reflective. I wanted to share with you a quote from the installation speech I gave recently at Adelphi University, our Epsilon chapter. For me, these words represent the importance of the Foundation mission and remind me of why I choose to serve.
"Today, the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation is proud to be stewards of our Founders legacy of compassion. We encourage each of you to follow in the foot steps of those who have come before you, and walk beside those who are with you today, to become a woman of compassion. We encourage you to seek out opportunities to offer hope to those who feel hopeless, to seek justice for those whose voices cannot be heard, and to remain true to our organizational core values of leadership through service, lifelong learning and inclusiveness. We trust that today, you will begin your journey to become a woman of courage, compassion and conviction."
Best wishes to each of you and thank you for continuing to support the Foundation, our website and blog. I look forward to our continued success in 2009!
Congratulations to our Theta Sigma chapter at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth who were recently featured in a South Coast Today article touting their philanthropic efforts. The sisters were noted for serving dinner to over 600 seniors and then dancing the night away with them. This was a wonderful collaborative effort with a fellow NPC sorority. To read more about their efforts, visit this site: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081226/NEWS/812260327/-1/NEWS
Do you have good news that you want to share with us? If so, email us at foundation@phisigmasigma.org!
It’s Nash, here again with another update on my awesome “Donors Rock” tour.I continued my travels meeting sisters both in Philadelphia area and neighboring New Jersey as well….
November 19 – I ventured across the bridge to visit our fabulous women at Zeta Pi, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).Over a delicious pasta dinner, we shared some Phi Sig history and lots of good stories.Thank you for cooking for me and welcoming me on my first ever visit to this campus.It was really fun!
November 20 - I was delighted to have coffee with two very special alumnae at Starbucks on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.It was wonderful catching up with Heather Kelley, a Beta Psi alumna and current Foundation Secretary and Diane Spatz, a Nu alumna, who is a Foundation Director Emeritus and the long standing CKA at Xi Chapter, Temple University.
November 20 – Dodgeball, anyone?How fun it was to watch the sisters of Zeta Gamma chapter at West Chester University compete among themselves in their first annual Phi Sig Olympics.The chapter divided themselves into teams complete with names, t-shirts, and cheers while having a blast playing dodgeball, answering trivia questions, and other fun activities.Following the game, it was so nice to tour their house and chat with the sisters about how the university has changed since I was their CKA in the 1990s.Thank you for hosting me and allowing me to share your entertaining games!
November 23 – I was thrilled to have lunch with Beta Alpha alumna Bonnie Diamond Aaron, who served the Foundation as a former Philanthropy and Fundraising Chairman.Since it’s been years since we’ve seen each other, it was wonderful to touch base, get up to date, and share family photos with each other.
November 23 - I traveled to New Jersey again, this time to attend a meeting with the sisters of Theta Eta chapter at RiderUniversity.We had a blast remembering our Phi Sig history.After the meeting, I toured the house which is very impressive.Thank you to the women at Theta Eta for allowing me to visit where I had such a good time!
November 24 – I was honored to have lunch with Past Grand Archon and Phi Sig icon, Veachey Rudolph Bloom.If you think I tell good stories, then you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Veachey speak.I could listen to Veachey talk all day and all night about her Phi Sig experiences…she’s a Phi Sig treasure!
November 24 – For my final visit, I was honored to attend a very lovely ritual meeting at Gamma Xi chapter at WidenerUniversity.Following the meeting, we had a question and answer session, and then I toured the Manor, their beautiful home.Thanks to all my Gamma Xi sisters for a terrific evening!
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks, but an extremely exhilarating experience.Our chapters continue to aim high and I know our Founders would be so proud of them.Thanks to everyone for hosting me with such warmth and enthusiasm.
One thing is for sure, our DONORS ROCK!!Look out, Nash may be dropping by to see you soon!
Nash has hit the road and has been a blogging maniac! See below for her latest stories and news!
Greetings from Nash.I’m currently in Philadelphia where it has been my great pleasure to meet and visit with so many wonderful Phi Sig collegians and alumnae.
November 14 - I began my “Donors Rock” tour with a trip to StevensonCollege in Owings Mills, MD to attend Zeta Chi Chapter’s Basket Bingo.I was honored to meet the sisters and their advisors, families and friends at this fantastic fundraiser.This event was not only fun, but it raised thousands of dollars for the Foundation.Congratulations to the chapter on a job well done and thank you for all your support.
November 16 - I was delighted to attend the Founders’ Day luncheon hosted by the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter.Check out all the details here.
November 17 – After having met all the local chapter reps at the Philly Founders’ Day celebration, I set out to visit each chapter on their own campus.My first stop was Beta Rho chapter, my alma mater DrexelUniversity.
I was quite impressed with the growth of the university which has so many new buildings that I hardly recognized it.It was so nice to meet the chapter, tour their house, and chat with the sisters about how the university has changed since I was in school.Thank you Beta Rhos for hosting me and allowing me to share some of my most cherished memories!
November 18 - I traveled to Xi Chapter at TempleUniversity, where I was thrilled to meet some of the sisters at the dining hall for lunch.While eating, we had a blast playing Phi Sig Jeopardy, and the sisters who answered the questions correctly were rewarded with prizes.After lunch, I toured the house which is very impressive.Thank you to the women at Xi for taking time out of your busy schedules to show me such a good time!
November 19 - I was so pleased to meet with Xi alumna Sue Bleznak Weisberg, an old friend and former Convention Chairman for the Fraternity.It was delightful to catch up with this Foundation donor and special sister!
The Foundation received this wonderful report from Melanie Toner, Archon of the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter. Congratulations for a wonderful event!
Founders’ Day 2008 was a huge success for the Philadelphia alumnae chapter. With seven chapters in attendance, we hosted almost 400 women to celebrate our founders’ vision and strength. Special Events Chair, Mary Elizabeth Gantz, planned a fabulous event at Harrah's in Chester. For this Founders' Day, we debuted a new format, complete with a panel of successful alumnae, a Phi Sig marketplace featuring every chapter, and a new collegian award.
Our panel featured Foundation Executive Director Nancy “Nash” Hay (Beta Rho), Gina D’Amato-Kaufman (Gamma Xi), Jess Pomraning (Gamma Gamma) and was moderated by Foundation Secretary Heather Kelley (Beta Psi). Collegians were asked to provide us with questions of anything that might be on their mind. Among other things, they asked about networking opportunities, career strategy, and whether or not our panelists watch the TV show, Greek.
The day kicked off with the Phi Sig Marketplace – an hour long opportunity devoted to networking. Each chapter was provided with a table to display information about their events and to sell t-shirts or other fundraising items. Next, Mary Elizabeth welcomed everyone and the women from Zeta Omicron performed the SPHINX ceremony.
This year, we presented two awards, one of which was brand new. Each year, we honor an alumnae sister who excels in sorority and community service with the Helen Berkowitz award. Past recipients include Kim Hildred (Gamma Epsilon), Nancy Hay (Beta Rho), Diane Spatz (Nu) and many others. This year’s honored recipient was Jess Pomraning (Gamma Gamma). We also started a new tradition this year. We felt it was important to also honor outstanding collegians in our region and so we debuted a new award, the Outstanding Philadelphia Area Collegian Sister Award. We received outstanding nominations and Mary Elizabeth read each one aloud. We are so proud to have awarded this year’s plaque to Laura Ferro (Nu).
And of course, we also made sure to remember to uphold our founders’ ideals. Our community service project was a toiletry drive which benefited Family House in West Philadelphia. In addition, we raised $689 for the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation between raffle tickets and pin sales. Unique Impressions will also graciously donate a portion of their proceeds to the Foundation. Finally, we debuted a new T-shirt as a chapter fundraiser and sold 31 shirts!
...graduated from high school at age 11? ...became a textile designer and an interior designer? ...worked as a hospital volunteer and was bilingual? ...was the first founder to pass away? ...aspired to be a dancer/actress? ...wrote most of the Fraternity's ritual?
Whether or not you remember all their names and achievements, I know you remember our Founders' collective vision...the advancement of womanhood. You embrace it every time you act with sisterhood in mind. Nothing can separate us!
So now, the question...
Will you continue the tradition you began last Founders' Day by joining our second annual Founders' Day Campaign? This important effort is raising gifts of $19.13 or more to directly benefit the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation's ACHIEVE leadership initiative and educational grants. The contribution you made last year helped raise nearly $20,000 - an amount that far exceeded our highest expectations!
Our Zeta Tau Chapter Archon, Julie, tells what ACHIEVE meant for her this past year:
"This series of workshops definitely helped me focus on techniques to develop and implement chapter objectives. We worked on an action plan for our standards board to monitor chapter morale and oversee activities. We also established a "24-hour rule," meaning if there is disagreement or tension, sisters allow themselves 24 hours to think through their thoughts and ideas rather than instantly reacting..."
This Loyola University Chicago senior has helped double her chapter size in two years, with 90 sisters and tons of positive response from members, Headquarters and their host campus. And, Julie is just one of our collegiate chapter leaders who benefited from the program. Some 750 collegiate sisters participated in ACHIEVE last year alone. Wow!
Joining the 2008 Founders' Day Campaign by November 26th will put a tax-deductible gift to work immediately to fund the ACHIEVE leadership module and educational grants for deserving sisters. We need YOU if we hope to reach this year's goal to increase donors and dollars by 10%. It's easy to do right now... (1) find the answers to our Founders' Day quiz and (2) tell us your answer to our Founders' Day question!
Here's the latest installment from Kim and Judith!
It’s Sunday morning and our trip to west coast is coming to an end as we prepare to fly home to Virginia. Yesterday it was my honor to meet with the sisters from Theta Upsilon at the University of La Verne and the sisters from Epsilon Delta at ChapmanUniversity. Both chapters are very generous supporters and I was thrilled to talk to them about their hard work for the Foundation, how their gifts are used, and thank them for making what we do possible.
The Theta Upsilon’s got up early to meet with me before heading out to their Make a Difference
Day event; meeting with foster teens to talk about career planning. What a terrific activity!
Our Chapman sisters presented me with a many personalized cards wishing the athletes good luck at the Games for Phi Sigs to distribute in 2010. They have made these cards during philanthropic recruitment and we couldn’t be more grateful for their support.
Early in the afternoon, Judith and I had lunch with representatives from the LA alumnae chapter. It was wonderful to see these sisters talk about Foundation and share alumnae activity ideas.
We could not let this fabulous weekend come to an end without expressing our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Carol Schwartz (Zeta, UCLA) and her husband Lee for hosting Phyllis and our oral history interviewees at their home these past three days. Their home has served as “Phi Sig central” since Carol’s days as a sister at UCLA and over the years Carol and Lee have hosted many events for collegians, alumnae, and even members of the area alumnae panhellenic where Carol has long-served as a member. Carol and Lee could not have been more gracious and we cannot thank them enough.
Good Morning, this is Judith writing now. Our time here has been filled with fun, excitement for Phi Sigma Sigma, and tremendous enthusiasm. I spent time talking with Sandy Wesler Warner (Zeta ’66) who was a senior when I was a freshman. She brought her pledge class scrapbook, and I saw the faces of Sisters I had not seen since they left school to graduate! The warm feelings, friendships, and life experiences these Sisters have shared since their graduation in the mid 1960s is wonderful to discover, and to know that they were based on their Phi Sigma Sigma membership. I also spoke with Sandy’s mother, Marge, who is also a Zeta, class of 1939, who remembers her collegiate experiences with great fondness. How special for me to be able to hear her comments and to share these precious memories over the span of years!
Phyllis Dreyfuss, Beta Alpha, shared this wonderful blog with us. As you will recall, Phyllis is our oral historian and has made the trip west with Kim and Judith.
Hi. I’m Phyllis Dreyfuss, an alumna from Beta Alpha, University of Maryland, and have been privileged to be the Fraternity’s oral historian since 2002. My responsibilities have taken me to many parts of the country to meet with sisters that included all from recent graduates to those who graduated as early as 1939.
Kim, Judith and I arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday, and thus began my first series of oral histories on the West Coast. The process requires some background research to determine the role the potential interviewee played within their chapter and perhaps, nationally, either as an active, an alum or both. Once identified as being able to provide information that may help us trace our history in a way that is more personal and anecdotal than that found in the written word, our Headquarters handles the necessary releases and makes appointments for me to speak in person with our selected sister. Judith, Kim and I review the basics of my interview guide and off I go…………off to meet and have a very private conversation that include, a sister I’ve never met before and a tape recorder.
Much of what I learn serves as new insights into what makes us a diverse group to be proud of….the stories of how we have learned to work together, live together and make a difference on our campus, in our community and for our fraternity….and serves as a window as much to our past as it is to our future. We shall keep you posted on how we can best use the information we have been gathering as part of our Centennial celebration. In addition, we will keep you posted on some of the very funny experiences we have had traveling together from the East Coast….ask any of us about Factor’s Deli and we can repeat.
Well, we have finished day number two in paradise. Our day began with dropping Phyllis off at the lovely home of Carol Schwartz (Zeta, UCLA) who is hosting Phyllis as she completes her oral histories. Carol is one of the interviewees as well!
Judith and I then headed out to see Wendy Lau and Tara Ervin, both Theta Upsilons, La VerneUniversity. As generous donors we had lots to thank them for and received some terrific feedback from both as we explained some of the new ways Foundation is reaching out to alumnae to find both a cause and giving program that is customized for each individual donor.
We then headed to CaliforniaStateUniversity at Dominguez Hills. There we spoke at a chapter meeting – can you believe these women have their meetings at 6:30pm each Friday? But what was so wonderful was that it was family night (such a cool idea) where the chapter hosts their families as they attend a meeting, make tee shirts for new members, make posters, and of course have dinner. It was such an honor for Judith and I to meet all our Iota Gamma sisters and their families. The chapter invited us to make a few remarks, which we did. Judith shared her experience as a parent of a Phi Sig and I spoke about Phi Sig’s founding, our core values, the important of inclusiveness, our new member programming, and what it means to be a part of our larger Phi Sig family. Of course I also talked about how the chapter’s generous gifts are put to work for fund scholarships and educational grants, leadership programming to develop sisters and strengthen chapters and to help those with kidney disease. Thank you Iota Gammas for hosting us and congratulations on a fabulous event!
Do you want to see the accomplishments of your chapter featured on the blog? Do you know collegian or alumnae sisters who are doing amazing work in service or philanthropy? If so, email us at foundation@phisigmasigma.org and tell us about it. Also, don't forget to send us your pictures!
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