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!

Special Announcement

Today's post is one of my very favorites we have ever posted for you all. Thank you to the inspiring Lauren Stitzlein for writing this post and sharing with all of the Delta Diaries readers some VERY exciting news, not only  for her but the Alpha Lambda chapter as a whole. We are so proud of you and it is such an honor to call you our sister, Lauren. Enjoy! 

          "When I shared the news with some of the women who have gone before me, most of them said the same adage after their congratulations:

“You’re in for the ride of your life.”

            The news? I found out last week that I’ll have the chance to work with these five women from around the country on Tri Delta’s Chapter Services Team as a Field Consultant (FC) for the 2013-2014 school year!

            I applied for the job because every past and present FC I met (including Alpha Lambda’s Anna Dilworth, who served in 2011-2012) were so inspiring and encouraged so much positive change in our chapter. Wanderlust also contributed.

            The application process started months ago with a paper application. From there I was granted a phone interview, and then I was invited to travel to our Executive Office in Dallas, TX with the final 15 candidates for in person interviews and other activities to simulate parts of the job.

            FCs travel to various chapters in the country or move to a certain university to assist with the opening of a new chapter, and are there to offer consultation and advice to the members of that chapter so they can live our purpose to the fullest in every area of chapter of life—recruitment, socials, sisterhood building, leadership, philanthropy, etc.

           

           Even without a single frequent flyer mile tracked I’ve already learned three amazing things from this process:

1)   The enormity of Tri Delta as a Fraternity—At the interviews in Dallas, I got to meet women from as nearby as UGA and as far away as California. Looking ahead, the six of us have 138 chapters to visit in a year!

2)   The power of our common values, experiences and sisterhood—I was nervous that there may have been sense of competition or rivalry at the interviews in Dallas because we were all vying for the same job. That fear was dispelled as soon as we all met each other. Every woman there was utterly amazing, and we became friends in just a weekend as we shared what Tri Delta means to us, our favorite parts of our ritual/values and funny stories from our chapters.

3)   Tri Delta is so much more than four years in college—The six of us will spend a year travelling for the Fraternity, it’s not a stretch to say that everyone who applied will volunteer with a chapter as an Alumna Advisor or in another way at some point, and I’ll be working with our Chapter Service Team who are serving Tri Delta full time. It’s going to be a lifetime commitment, and a sweet one at that.

           

            I am thankful and thrilled. Coming to college, I didn’t even think I would get involved in sorority life until a couple of my friends in Tri Delta, Lindsey and Michelle, put me up to going through recruitment as a sophomore, and now...this?

            So lesson #4 would be: Membership in Tri Delta (specifically Alpha Lambda) can change you for the better and provide unbelievable opportunities. It’s actually been the ride of my life since fall 2010, and I’m eager to see where the wave goes in the next year!

Deltas In Dublin

I am so excited to share this post today with everyone! Written by our three amazing sisters Olivia Weaver, Ciara Kavanagh, and Sara Wilder, about their semester as they are studying abroad together in Ireland. To our girls- we miss you so much and can't wait for you to come back home! We're so happy you're having such an incredible time!

"Studying abroad in Ireland has been one of the greatest things to ever happen to us. There is no better way to expand your horizon than by leaving everything you are accustomed to at home. Learning about different cultures and meeting tons of new people are only some of the great things a semester abroad can bring. We are each very blessed to have this opportunity, and we are even more blessed to be able to spend it together. Moving to a new place comes with its own challenges, but they are much easier to face when you have not only your best friends by your side, but also your sisters. Tri Delta reels in some of the strongest and most amazing women, and we are eternally grateful to be members of such a strong sisterhood. From traveling to the Wicklow Mountains of Eastern Ireland to backpacking through the Bavarian Alps of Germany, the adventures and experiences the three of us have shared are endless. We wish all of our sisters could be here with us, and we Delta love them all!"

USC Dance Marathon

On March 1st through 2nd, a group of sisters danced from dusk til dawn at USC Dance Marathon. This 24 hour long event is held to raise money for The Children's Miracle Network and The Palmetto Health Children's Hospital. But most importantly it's For The Kids! 

Among all the many girls who supported this great cause, we had 5 devoted deltas, Katrina Darling, Beth Hooks, Caroline Stanley, Alyx Di Pasquantonio and Alex Hall that stayed the entire 24 hours!

Our banner even placed 3rd in the competition judged by a few children from the local hospital that came to visit the marathon. 

This year with the help of donations from all different organizations throughout the community and around campus USCDM was able to raise $224,510. We made miracles!

Thank you to our valued sister, Alex Hall for all the work she put into Dance Marathon this year, and to writing this post for us! We are so thankful for all that you do!

International Badge Day

Yesterday, Trideltas all over campus were proudly wearing their pins in honor of International Badge Day! Nationwide, for March 4th, Panhellenic organizations came together and all donned their respective badges to represent their chapters. We all know how much of an honor it is to have the privilege to wear this symbol of our sisterhood. Thank you to all the women who represented our chapter so well yesterday! Delta Love!

Sincerely Yours

Hey everyone! Today we have a special post from our incredible Philanthropy Chair, Julia Morgan, on our most recent philanthropy event called "Sincerely Yours". Julia's huge passion for St. Jude is easy to see and we are all so lucky to have her as a leader in our chapter. Enjoy!

Since November of 1999, Tri Delta has partnered with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for our philanthropy. We take a pride and dedicate ourselves to helping so many children each year and giving hope to their families. As a whole, Tri Delta has current goal of raising $15 million in five years and we are more than half way to accomplishing it.

At Alpha Lambda our dedication is no different. We take pride in all that we do for the best children's hospital in the world! Just last year, we were the first chapter of Tri Delta to reach $100,000 in only one year for St. Jude. We ended up raising $103, 738.05 during the 2011-2012 academic year.

Of all that we raised $68,059.50 from our annual letter writing campaign; Sincerely Yours. For Sincerely Yours, our members address envelopes and send letters to family and friends describing our bond with St. Jude and how much we would appreciate it if they would share our passion. This campaign simply asks for them to join us in giving hope to families across the country by making a donation for the hospital.

On Sunday, February 10^th, 2013 our members came to our house to write and address their letters. The girls were able to hang out with sisters, eat pizza and share their love for St. Jude. We ended up mailing out over 12,000 letters! We cannot wait to hear back from St. Jude as to how much we raised. (We will not know until July because the donors have until June to donate!). However, we really hope to break our record from last year!

If you did not receive a letter from any of us, but would like to donate, please contact me! My information is on our contact page here at The Delta Diaries.

I could not be more proud of all of our members. The amount of letters we mailed validates our love for St. Jude and reminds me how truly great it is to be a member of Tridelta! As Dr. Mari Ann Callais said at the Tridelta St. Jude Leadership weekend, “The money you raise for St. Jude is what you do, the people you save is who you are!”

Delta love and all of mine,

Julia

Thank You to SoundCheck

Today's post is all about thanking the wonderful SoundCheck, USC's only all male a cappella singing group on campus, for coming to perform for us at our chapter meeting last week. I know we all loved it and can't wait for you all to come back! Check out some of their performance in the short clip below. Thank you again to the talented boys of SoundCheck!