Dance Marathon FTK 2015

"Back in March of my freshman year, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was essentially forced to sign up for something called Dance Marathon, where I was going to have to stand for 24 hours and raise money for a local children's hospital. During that day I had no clue that this organization and event would completely change my college experience. 

Dance Marathon is a student run organization that boasts to be the most philanthropic organization on South Carolina's campus. All the money we raise goes directly to our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital, Palmetto Health Children's Hospital. USCDM has, besides TriDelta, been the most meaningful organization I have been lucky enough to be a part of.  I consider it such a blessing in disguise that I had to participate my freshman year because now as a senior I couldn't imagine my last 4 years without it.  I was lucky enough to serve on the Morale Team for the past 2 years and it has taught me such a great deal about myself. I became so passionate about this group of awesome people because all the money we raise is FOR THE KIDS!!! We are even lucky enough to be able to interact with some of the children that were treated at the Children's Hospital.  

This really makes you realize that you are doing something that is so much bigger than yourself.  It has allowed me to realize that I can make miracles happen, all I have to do is dance.  This year was the best year yet that I've been involved with USCDM because we raised $501,528 FOR THE KIDS! We set our goal to raise “Half a Million in Half the Time.” At the closing ceremonies of the Main Event, we have numbers laid face down across the stage and the executive members of USCDM flip them up and show all the heroes (participants) and anyone that wants to come the amount of money we have raised that year.  

When those numbers flipped this past Saturday and I was overcome with emotion. Even sitting here, writing this post, I still get choked up about how amazing it was to see that 5 at the beginning of the amount. I know I speak for our entire organization when I say that there were countless hours put in to raising this much money.  I couldn’t be more prideful than I have been this past week to be able to say that I’m a part of the USC Dance Marathon team.  I’ve made lifelong, incredible friendships, danced like no one was watching, cried, laughed, and gained a sense of selflessness that I could have never learned in the regular classroom setting here at Carolina. So with that being said, I would strongly encourage anyone that wants to get involved with an incredible organization to look no farther than USCDM. 

Forever to Thee Kids,

 Alex Hall"

Alumnae Cocktail

"One of the most remarkable things about joining the Delta Delta Delta sorority is that not only is it a sisterhood through our collegiate years, but it is actually a sisterhood for life. This statement was proven to be true this past Saturday evening at the Alpha Lambda chapter’s first annual Alumnae Cocktail.

As the daughter of Tri-Delta alumna, I was elated to be slated into the Alumnae Relations office in November. I already had a special, personal connection with Tri-Delta alumnae, and I wanted to expand on our chapter’s alumnae interactions as our Pansy members still play a prominent role in our sisterhood.

I was approached to carry on and put into action the previously discussed idea of an alumnae cocktail. After months of planning and spreading the word to our wide range of alum through e-mail, our monthly alumnae newsletter, and facebook, the evening finally came on March 21^st.

 The spring evening took place on one of the most beautiful weather-days of the year at the historical Robert Mills House and Gardens in Columbia. Around 60 guests arrived ranging from some current collegiate seniors to recently graduated alum to members of 1980s graduated classes. Alumnae and their dates spent the night rekindling friendships, recounting Tri-Delta memories, and dancing the night away to our live band.

I was overjoyed to hear alum tell me about what Tri-Delta means to them. Alumnae expressed how they met their very best friends, even bridesmaids, and cherish their most fond college memories in connection with this sorority. Our goal is to drive this amazing sisterhood forward through the years past graduation and to continue to include our alumnae members.

We hope to make this cocktail an annual event that will grow and grow each year to come. We want our collegiate members to look forward to coming back to Columbia and re-connecting with their sisters each year. Please help us make this a reality by sharing and spreading the word about this event in gearing up for next year. If you do not receive our monthly alumnae newsletter, please e-mail me at scdddalumnae@gmail.com, and I will add you to the list!

A special thank you to Coleman Buckhouse; without her this annual cocktail would have never begun. I also want to thank all of the alumnae who attended our first cocktail, and all of our alumnae who are so enthusiastic about staying involved with our chapter. Without you all, none of this would be possible!

Delta Love and Mine, 

Kathryn Hennon ’18"

   

Spring Break '15

It's hard to believe it's only been a week since Spring Break. Still, it was great for our sisters to have the week off to relax and spend time with their families and friends. Our girls went all over the country and beyond, with some of the most notable locations in Cancun, Key West, the Dominican Republic and Belize.  Whether they were on service trips, white sandy beaches, or just hanging out at home, the sisters of Tri Delta took advantage of our weeklong break and are now back at USC feeling refreshed and ready to take on the last few weeks of school!

Steadfast Love: My Take on Sisterhood

Many people are skeptical about the sisterhood behind every sorority, and our sisters are prepared to face those questions. As our girls begin getting ready for recruitment in the fall, it is important that we clarify exactly what being in a sorority means, the value we place on our sisterhood and how much being a member of Tri Delta has meant to us. 

In our new series, "Steadfast Love: My Take on Sisterhood", we will uncover the stories of several of our sisters that are eager to share their experiences with the rest of the world. For our first entry, Amy Cronin will reveal how her life as a twin has prepared her for the hundreds of new sisters she would find in college.

"What’s it like to be a twin? This is a question I’ve been faced with for as long as I can remember. Sure, it seems like an innocent and simple question, however it is one that I’ve always struggled with. In fact, I’m nineteen years old and I still can’t effectively communicate what it’s like to be a twin. The reason for this is simple. I can’t explain what it’s like to be a twin because I have no earthly idea what it would be like to not be a twin. My biggest blessing and my better half, I simply can’t imagine not being Kristen’s twin sister. The truth is, I’ve lived my life blissfully unaware of what it would be like to not have someone to share everything with, to do everything with, and to face everything life throws at us with; from high school heartbreak to our mom’s battle with breast cancer, we always do life together.  So to me, the better question is this... what’s it like to not have a sister?  To not have that bulletproof support system? To not have your very own “built-in” best friend? While I’ll never truly know the answers to these questions, the last six months have left me with time to think about them.

Separated by college and facing a whirlwind of change, my first year hasn’t been all together easy—naturally, I miss my sister. However, the sadness is numbed by an overwhelming sense of joy I get from seeing her truly happy, thriving, and growing into the potential I’d always known was there—something SO worth watching even from a couple hours away. And as for me I can’t complain. I love it here at USC and I’ve already made so many great memories; from new friends to football season, there’s not much I would change. And to my parents’ satisfaction, somewhere in between all the fun I’ve learned a lot too. To make it all the more worthwhile something really incredible and entirely unexpected has happened here… in the absence of my biological sister, I’ve gained nearly 400 more through Tri Delta.

But how can you really call all those girls sisters?  You can’t really know all of them. It’s like you’re paying for friends. Just as difficult as the whole twin thing, these are some of the newer questions and comments I’ve found myself faced with.

So to the skeptics and critics, those of you in doubt of the conventionality of sororities or maybe even the Greek system at large, I am certainly not here to condemn you or your beliefs. In fact, I don’t blame you. Six months ago I was you. Holding an extremely high regard for sisterhood and valuing what a sister really is, of course I didn’t expect to feel the way I do. However, I can only rely on my experience and my experience has been this: first you’re part of it, and then it becomes a part of you.  Simple as that.

How a group of mixed matched girls tied together only by letters can hammer out genuine bonds of sisterhood is still beyond me. Furthermore, a sisterhood that is fueled by respect and strung together by a mutual concern and love for one another. It really is crazy. But the truth is, I couldn’t deny it’s existence if I tried. The fact of the matter is, I see it everyday—it’s in the way there’s always someone to lend advice, a helping hand, or even just a ride. It’s the eagerness we share to help any sister in need—a broken heart or a bad night, a sister is never alone. It’s the way we constantly motivate and believe in one another. And it’s the laughter that roars through our beloved “Delta Shelta”. More than anything, I see it in the steadfast growth of perpetual friendships and memories. So although Kristen will always be my BIGGEST blessing, I can’t help but to be thankful for the blessing I have in my Tri Delta sisters."

-Amy Cronin