Philanthropy

 Girl Scouts of the USA

In 1998, Kappa Delta Sorority welcomed Girl Scouts of the USA as one of its national philanthropies. Through this one-of-a-kind partnership, Kappa Delta members are making great things happen in the lives of countless girls across the country.

Kappa Delta collegians and alumnae serve as mentors and volunteers, reinforcing our common values of honesty, integrity, friendship and leadership. Collegiate and alumnae chapters serve Girl Scouts in their area by hosting Dove uniquely ME! events, National Girls Day celebrations and other activities such as campus tours, community service projects and sporting events. Girl Scouts who take part in Kappa Delta-sponsored events earn a special Kappa Delta badge.

Further, the Kappa Delta Foundation contributes $10,000 annually to the Girl Scout Gold Award program, providing each Girl Scout Young Woman of Distinction award recipient a $1,000 scholarship toward her college tuition. Hailing from across the nation, the honorees embody the outstanding leadership, personal development and commitment necessary to earn this prestigious honor.

National Women's Friendship Month

Ask any woman--there's something special about her friendships with other women.  Our female friends know us better than anyone else.  They are there to listen, to console, and to encourage.  They are our loudest cheerleaders and our most compassionate confidantes.  Our women friends come in a wide variety--sister, mother, neighbor, childhood playmate, college roommate.  We make connections at the playground, the workplace, the gym, and over the proverbial back fence.

From a leisurely Saturday afternoon over coffee to precious moments stolen for a late night phone call, our relationships with other women can sustain us and give life depth.  We need to remember the important roles our women friends play in our lives.

In 1999, Kappa Delta Sorority created National Women's Friendship Day to do just that.  And in 2009, the celebration was expanded to the entire month of September. Now known as National Women's Friendship Month, the celebration offers all women the opportunity to remember their special friends.

Over the years, women have celebrated with luncheons and spa days, weekend trips and seminars on issues important to them.  Groups visited museums and toured historic sites.  They reached out to women in need by visiting nursing homes and collecting supplies for women's shelters and women in the military.  The power of women's friendship is amazing!

Every year, more and more women hear about the celebration.  We now have 34 states with governors' proclamations endorsing women's friendship.  We are excited to report that several magazines and numerous newspapers have featured stories on the events.  Many companies have also promoted the celebration, including Avon's mark cosmetics, Maidenform, Teleflora, General Foods International, Women For Hire, Karen Neuburger, Ltd., Vera Bradley, Suzy's Zoo, Seasons and Sentiments, Sally Lanes and b.sweets. Mark your calendars and join us in celebrating women's friendship in September!

 Prevent Child Abuse America

Since 1981, Kappa Delta has been a proud supporter of Prevent Child Abuse America, an organization founded by the late Donna Stone, one of our own Kappa Delta sisters. To date, Kappa Delta has donated over $7.1 million to help prevent child abuse in our country.

Thousands of KDs in hundreds of communities nationwide host "Shamrock Events" every year to raise money for national and local child abuse prevention efforts. Events are as varied and creative as the groups that sponsor them. Golf and softball tournaments, fun runs, chili cook-offs, war-of-the wings contests, spaghetti dinners, twister contests, children's art shows, doughnut sales, "teeter-totter-a-thons," fashion shows, and paintball tournaments are just a few of the fundraisers held by Kappa Delta chapters and alumnae associations. We encourage you to participate in local Shamrock Events to join Kappa Delta in making great things happen in the lives of children.

In early 2006, Kappa Delta joined the groundbreaking Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help raise self-esteem in girls and women. The campaign is a global effort intended to serve as a starting point for societal change and act as a catalyst for widening the definition and discussion of beauty. Girls and women of all ages benefit from the campaign as we explore what it is to be beautiful with our friends, coworkers, mothers and daughters.

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has included controversial ads of real women with real curves in their underwear, a SuperBowl ad promoting self-esteem among girls, activity booklets, a comprehensive Web site and more. Kappa Delta is proud to join forces with Dove to make a difference in the lives of women and girls across the country.

Children's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia

Kappa Delta's support of the Children's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia dates back to 1921. The sorority became interested in the work being done in our founding state by William Tate Graham, M.D., a pioneer in the field known for treating polio victims. Dr. Graham had become renowned for his revolutionary approaches and never turned away a patient for their inability to pay.

Beginning with our initial pledge of $1,200 to support two beds, Kappa Delta's commitment to Children's Hospital over the years has never wavered. The sorority's monetary and tangible gifts have totaled more than $2.2 million. Contributions have gone to develop a motion clinic, purchase hospital equipment, medical braces and neurosurgical instruments, provide playground equipment and purchase vans to transport patients. Local chapters and alumnae groups also sponsor the annual Halloween and Easter parties and assist with the Teddy Bear Toss.

Orthapaedic Research Awards

Kappa Delta's partnership with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) evolved out of its work with Children's Hospital in Richmond, Va. After getting to know children with crippling diseases, Kappa Deltas wanted to make a difference not only in treatment, but in prevention.

In 1947, the sorority established the Kappa Delta Research Fellowship in Orthopedy (now known as the Kappa Delta Orthopaedic Research Awards). Starting with a $1,000 contribution in 1950, Kappa Delta now presents three $20,000 awards annually to leading orthopaedic researchers, for a total of over $1.1 million since the partnership began.

Often referred to as the Nobel Prize of orthopaedic research, the Kappa Delta Orthopaedic Research Awards have gone to researchers who have made key discoveries pertaining to bone grafting, treatment of polio, surgical correction of scoliosis, knee replacement, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, arthorscopic surgery--in short, most of the leading orthopaedic advancements of the past 60 years.

Stand Up! Stand Out!

College sororities are taking a stand on the issues that affect women on the campuses of America's colleges and universities. Stand Up! Stand Out! Why Settle For Fitting In When You Were Meant to Stand Out?offers college women a forum to discuss the effects of negative peer pressure and explore ways to make a difference on campus.

There are so many difficult issues facing women today and nowhere is this more evident than on the campuses of American colleges and universities. Ironically, these same campuses are the breeding ground for tomorrow's leaders who will be expected to find ways to address these issues. Furthermore, the Greek system prides itself on developing leadership and promotes the concept of being your best self - in all areas of one's life - to their members.

To date, 24 National Panhellenic Conference groups, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Phi Alpha, and Zeta Tau Alpha have signed on as partners of the program.

"When Kappa Delta joined with Zeta Tau Alpha to create Stand Up! Stand Out!, we hoped that it would become a women's movement, a nationwide opportunity for college women to become empowered and stand up against negative peer pressure," said Melanie Schild, Executive Director of Kappa Delta Sorority. "Now with 24 national sororities banding together, with a combined collegiate membership of over a quarter of a million women, the campus culture can be changed."

The program encourages participants to explore the issues that are particularly relevant to their campus, such as alcohol abuse, low self-esteem, sexual promiscuity, pressure to overachieve and more. Participants will be challenged to ask themselves, "Why do I and other women make bad decisions when we have been taught better?" They are encouraged to explore their value systems and come up with concrete ways to stand up for what they believe.

For more information contact:

Stand Up! Stand Out!
c/o Kappa Delta Sorority
3205 Players Lane
Memphis, TN 38125
901-748-1897 or 800-536-1897