Welcome to Memphis

This past weekend 32 of our chapter members were able to travel to Memphis, TN to visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. From road-tripping for nine hours with sisters to touring the halls of our hospital, the girls were able to develop stronger friendships and see first hand where their work goes. We toured the hospital and the Target House, one of three residential homes at St. Jude for the patients and their families while they are being treated. The weekend was a blast and the girls were able to learn so much! It was my third time being able to visit the hospital as a member of Tri Delta and every time I come I am reminded of just how special our commitment to St. Jude is and how proud I am to be a member of this sorority. I feel so blessed to have been able to share this feeling with every single one of these girls. 

Check out this short video re-capping the trip made by our very own Lauren Stitzlein!

Here are a few things that some of the girls had to say about the trip:

“My favorite part about visiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital this past weekend was seeing 29 of my sisters experience the hospital for the very first time. This trip was my fourth visit to St. Jude since I joined Tri Delta and every year it only gets more amazing. Watching the girls reaction as they walked onto the Tri Delta Bone Marrow Transplant Floor will be one of the highlights of my college years.” -Callie Butterworth, senior

I was really surprised how much this trip changed my outlook on our partnership with St. Jude. Before I visited the hospital, I was passionate about our philanthropy, but after visiting the hospital, I couldn't be more honored to help such a great organization. The staff and children are some of the most positive people I have ever met, and they're really inspiring. It's so neat that as a part of my sorority I have the opportunity to help such sweet people - it only makes me more proud to be a Tri Delta!” -Jillian Hayes, sophomore

“It was incredible to see firsthand all the good we do for St. Jude. Tri Delta was represented everywhere I turned and so many different rooms were funded by Tri Delta. I was able to see that St. Jude was so much more than a hospital.” -Shelly Shropshire, freshman

“I learned that anyone, with any talent or any gift can play a part in the mission of St. Jude if they care to. It's easy to assume that because St. Jude is a hospital, only doctors, nurses or researchers are really needed to make a difference there. I made that assumption. But after meeting our tour guides who worked in the hospital's legal department and spending the day with them they shared with us the enormous variety of jobs and ways to help beyond just giving money or being a medical professional. There's a media department, event planners who work on creating fun programs and activities for patients, the cooks at the hospital cafeteria and even manicurists or beauticians who work in the salon at the Target House for patients and their families to have as normal of a life as possible. Any volunteer can also come in and donate blood straight to St. Jude to alleviate their costs, which directly saves lives! Seeing how big the whole operation is, I got an appreciation for how small each Tri Delta's part is--but I was also reminded of the incredible work of St. Jude and how important it is to play our small part with everything we've got to give.” -Lauren Stitzlein, senior

“I would have to say my favorite part of the tour of the hospital was being able to see where all of our hard work and fund-raising money goes. It was so rewarding to see the changes that we are making happen even when we are so far away. St. Jude is an incredible place!” -Sara Velordi, junior

“I never realized that it costs over a million dollars a day to run the hospital. This showed me how important our donations are to its existence.” -Alyssa Agostino, sophomore

“My favorite part about the tour of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was this really neat wall mural that was supposed to be of a town, and there was a mailman that had a bag of letters labeled "Delta Love". And there were all kinds of cute Delta related things painted into the scene. It was cool to know that I was a part of a sorority that is a part of such a wonderful institution, and that the institution is proud of that partnership.” -Rachelle Ciulla, sophomore

“We heard a story of a little boy who came to the hospital and wouldn't eat anything. The nurses and cooks tried everything, but he continued to refuse to eat. Finally, the nurses asked if he could have anything in the world to eat, what would it be? He said his grandmas mac’n’cheese. So one of the cooks in the hospital called his grandma, got the recipe, and cooked it for the little boy. This was the first thing the boy ate at St. Jude. This story was so inspiring to me and I realized how committed everyone at the hospital truly is. Everyone wants to help these precious children, just like Tri Delta!” -Rachel Tripp, sophomore

"Sometimes it's hard to have a passion for something that seems distant, but the St. Jude trip really put everything into perspective. Seeing our direct influence on the hospital was monumental. I had no idea how important our contributions were to sustaining the life changing hospital that runs on 1.8 million a day. I loved seeing our letters throughout the hospital, not just in the C-clinic wing that we sponsor. Our influence truly does change lives, and that is such an incredibly beautiful thing. It took seeing it firsthand to truly understand our impact, but now I am more passionate than ever for St. Jude. The trip was life changing!"
-Kellie McKinney, sophomore

Thank you to the always wonderful Julia Morgan for organizing this trip, we are all grateful to have had this opportunity and for all that you do!