From the outside looking in, a sorority seems like a group of Lilly-wearing women who share common interests, practice time-old rituals, and attend themed parties on the regular. Being involved in community service is, of course, part of what a sorority is—but once you become part of your sorority, community service takes on a whole new meaning in your life.
Philanthropies are a way of giving back to your community that has given so much to you, and also a way of implementing your chapter’s values and beliefs for the benefit of others. Once you become a member of a sorority, your chapter’s philanthropy begins to take on a whole new meaning, and you develop a stronger passion for what your philanthropy stands for.
All girls struggle with confidence issues at some point in their life, and being a sister of Kappa Delta has shown me that it is possible to overcome those confidence barriers. Kappa Delta created the Confidence Coalition, which is our initiative and can be viewed as the base of our philanthropies. Through the Confidence Coalition, Kappa Deltas strive to promote confidence in young girls and women by running various campaigns, working with the Girl Scouts USA, and putting on philanthropy events. Everything we believe in as KDs is tied back to having confidence and installing it in others.
March is the month for KD Shamrock events, which is our philanthropy event that benefits Prevent Child Abuse America. Kappa Delta at Michigan State University hosted a Shamrock 5k event, and it was a huge success! Proceeds from the 5k runners and donations went towards Prevent Child Abuse America and Lansing’s local child abuse prevention services.
As Kappa Deltas, we believe it’s important to promote preventing child abuse because overcoming the obstacles that are associated with child abuse would be even more difficult without having confidence. We believe that when you have confidence, you can accomplish anything.
The work we do with our local Girl Scouts fall under the Confidence Coalition, and with that, we promote the importance of confidence and install it into our activities. Having the opportunity to work with our local Girl Scouts chapter as Kappa Deltas is a great privilege. Each year, Kappa Delta hosts various confidence-building workshops and events for our Girl Scouts, such as self-esteem and anti-bullying workshops; International Girls Day is held each fall to help girls realize their full potential and celebrate it!
As Kappa Deltas, we see how much the Girl Scouts look up to us as older girls which in turn inspires us to be our best selves—another aspect of the Confidence Coalition. We hope that we are making an impact on girls and women everywhere through our philanthropic work and the Confidence Coalition.
Being a sister of Kappa Delta has made me realize my full potential as a student and a woman; it has given me the confidence boost I needed to push me toward my career goals, and I hope others are benefitting from our philanthropies and initiative as much as I am.