2016 Spring To Dragma

2015 Recap

1

2

1 Toledo area alumnae 3
2 Houston alumnae
3 Chattanooga area alumnae and members from

Lambda Delta (Dalton State College)

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AlumnaeNews

12
1 Atlanta alumnae
2 Northern Kentucky alumnae
3 Minneapolis-St. Paul

alumnae

3

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2015 Recap

Kentucky Alumnae Chapter enjoyed events such as a painting class,
holiday party and luncheons throughout the year. They
The Central Kentucky Bluegrass Alumnae Chapter also enjoyed putting together care packages for patients
celebrated Homecoming with the ladies of Epsilon receiving chemotherapy at a local hospital.
Omega in 2015. They also had a great turnout for their
sisterhood event at a nearby comedy club. The Kentucky Maine
Lakes Alumnae Chapter had several lunch gatherings
throughout the year and supported an alumnae who The Greater Portland Alumnae Chapter started the year
performed in a local production of “Rent.” They helped the off with a summer outing and barbecue at Higgins Beach.
Delta Omega Chapter during recruitment and co-hosted In September, they had Memorial Ritual in memory of two
a dinner with them for chapter members and alumnae. sisters who passed away in 2015. In December, they had
The Lexington Alumnae Chapter had several monthly their annual Yankee Swap and hors d’oeuvre and dessert
sisterhood events including game nights, crafting nights, holiday party.
Third Thursday of the month lunches and their AOII Rose
Vine Connection, which is a networking happy hour at the Maryland
beginning of every month. Additionally, they assembled
final exam survival kits for members of Kappa Omega The Baltimore Alumnae Chapter continued their tradition
and Tau Omega . They also volunteered at a local food of monthly sister lunches at local restaurants. During exam
pantry and participated in their local Jingle Bell Run/Walk time, they made goodie bags for the Theta Beta Chapter,
for Arthritis. The Northern Kentucky Alumnae Chapter and in May, alumnae attended Theta Beta’s Senior Fly Up
kicked the year off with the chapter’s annual Founders’ Day and, followed by a reception for graduating seniors. They
dinner at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. Sisterhoods invited representatives from the Arthritis Foundation to
throughout the year included happy hours, painting speak at a meeting and participated in the Baltimore Jingle
ceramics at a local ceramics studio, Cincinnati Reds’ Strike- Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis.
Out-Arthritis! and a holiday ornament exchange. The
chapter also supported the Nu Omega chapter during Michigan
recruitment and made finals week goodie bags
The Ann Arbor Alumnae Chapter had a great year
for members. of service and sisterhood activities, including taking a
tour of University of Michigan’s Art Museum, hosting
Louisiana dinner for the families at the Ronald McDonald House
and participating in AOII Night Out. The Detroit North
The Acadiana Alumnae Chapter hosted their annual Suburban Alumnae Chapter enjoyed many sisterhoods in
Founders’ Day luncheon at the University of Louisiana at 2015 including a trip to a local cider mill, pottery painting,
Lafayette with 165 women in attendance. A silent auction wine tasting and holiday cookie and ornament swap.
was held to benefit the Delta Beta scholarship fund and They also participated in their local Jingle Bell Run/Walk
donations were collected for the Ruby Fund. The Baton for Arthritis in December. The Kalamazoo Area Alumnae
Rouge Alumnae Chapter kicked off the year with a Chapter had a year full of sisterhood activities ranging
“BR Proud” theme. Each meeting in 2015 was themed from cookie decorating to pool parties. The Macomb
with the letters BR to honor their city, such as their Strike County Alumnae Chapter had a great time bonding at
Out Kentucky Derby Party with the Hammond Area a variety of events including a wine tasting, brunch and
Alumnae Chapter, which had a “ThoroughBRed” theme. cookie swap.
The Shreveport-Bossier City Alumnae Chapter met for
sisterhood events and service opportunities throughout
the year including their annual Meet-n-Greet for new or
interested members, an alumnae tea at Northwestern
State University, a holiday party, a Mardi Gras party and
participation in the Super Bowl Football square fundraiser,
among many other events. The New Orleans Area

53

AlumnaeNews Minnesota New Hampshire

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Alumnae Chapter is looking The New Hampshire Alumnae Chapter joined the
forward to recognizing their 100th anniversary on October Boston and Rhode Island sisters at the Boston Red Sox
7, 2016 with a big fall celebration. In 2015, they enjoyed Strike Out Arthritis! event, and enjoyed their second annual
making study packs for two nearby collegiate chapters, cookie exchange.
Tau and Kappa Sigma. They also had an AOP(ie) meeting
complete with pie and ice cream, as well as a joint service New Jersey
event with Tau Chapter to package food for Feed My
Starving Children. The Jersey Shore Alumnae Chapter had a busy fall
with Northeast Weekend and supporting the Iota Theta
Missouri Chapter. They enjoyed activities like wine and paint nights,
as well as a jewelry-designing party.
The St. Louis Alumnae Chapter used “AOII Goes
International” as a theme for all their meetings for the year. New Mexico
They celebrated the diversity of cultural influences of their
members by exploring cultural events around town and The Central New Mexico Alumnae Chapter enjoyed
learning about the international heritages of the hostess participating in the Jingle Bell Walk/Run for Arthritis and
of each meeting. Some of their signature events included their annual ornament exchange during their holiday
a kick-off ice cream social, gift exchange, book club and party.
salad dinner. They also enjoyed attending the Japanese
Garden Walk at the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the St. New York
Louis Art Museum.
The Long Island Alumnae Chapter had their annual family
Nebraska pool party in August and had fun attending a taping
of “The Meredith Vieira Show.” They also had members
The Lincoln Alumnae Chapter had a star-themed year. attend Northeast Weekend and had a fundraiser with 31
Some activities included hockey games with the stars, Bags and Arbonne. The NY/NJ Metro Alumnae Chapter
cocoa parties with star marshmallows, Senior Star Sendoff, enjoyed spending time with alumane in the tri-state area
Star City Wine Tasting and “Starry Night” painting party. at events like a wine exchange, a trip to a Peddler’s Village
They enjoyed fundraising for the Zeta Chapter and and Northeast Weekend. The NY/NJ Metro Alumnae
partnering with them to celebrate Founders’ Day. Chapter and New York City Area Alumnae Chapter
partnered together in a local arthritis walk. The New
Nevada York City Area Alumnae Chapter had a busy year with
many events including their Kentucky Derby Day Run
One of the Las Vegas Alumnae Chapter’s favorite events for the Roses in May, a tour of the China Exhibit at the
in 2015 was a wine and painting class night with family Metropolitan Museum of Art and Operation Backpack,
and friends. The Reno-Tahoe Alumnae Chapter focused where they filled backpacks with school supplies for
their attention on membership recruitment and collegiate children. Their book club, Thanksgiving potluck and high
support in 2015. In addition to increasing membership size, tea were a few other highlights from the year.
they also raised $19,000 for the AOII Foundation’s Betty
Duke Scholarship in their first year
of fundraising.

54| Spring 2016

2015 Recap

1

2
3 1 Chicago Suburban alumnae

2 Toronto alumnae
3 Rhode Island alumnae

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AlumnaeNews 12

3

1 New York City alumnae 4
2 Madison area alumnae
3 Central New Mexico alumnae
4 Montreal alumnae

56| Spring 2016

2015 Recap

North Carolina learned about bees and enjoyed treats made with honey.
They also had a pizza night for the Theta Psi Chapter and
The Charlotte Alumnae Chapter participated in the distributed exam care packages for both chapters. Finally,
Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis. They also helped Alpha they partnered with Alpha Psi and Theta Psi in their local
Epsilon during recruitment by supplying food and drinks. Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis and wrapped up the year
The Greater Greenville Alumnae Chapter began a with a holiday ornament exchange and potluck.
program for the Zeta Psi Chapter, where one junior or
senior member per semester is acknowledged and given a Oregon
monetary award to be applied to her Billhighway account.
The alumnae chapter also raised funds through sales to In 2015, the Portland Alumnae Chapter hosted
parents for care packages, as well as special cupcake or Founders’ Day at the Salem Convention Center, their
cookie deliveries to their daughters. The North Carolina annual Willamette Valley Wine Tasting and sponsored a
Foothills Alumnae Chapter had a busy first year of pizza party for the collegians of Alpha Rho. They had 22
activities. Last spring, they made wreaths while planning members participate in Portland’s Jingle Bell Walk/Run for
their upcoming installation. They had a gathering at a Arthritis and enjoyed nights of wine and appetizers with
lake near a sister’s home in the summer and an ornament one another. Perhaps their favorite gathering, though, was
auction in December to raise money for the Ruby Fund. the reception honoring our new International President,
The Winston-Salem Alumnae Chapter also had a busy Gayle Fitzpatrick.
year of activities, with one of the most memorable being
their Murder Mystery Evening for sisters and their guests. Pennsylvania
Each person played a character and was encouraged to
The Bucks County Alumnae Chapter planned some
come in a masquerade-themed costume. unique sisterhood outings in 2015. One particular
gathering was at a restaurant training facility for soon-to-
Ohio be released inmates who learn to be waiters or cooks, so
they can be employed when released. Alumnae members
The Cleveland Area Alumnae Chapter hosted several said the food was excellent and the service was great! It
events in 2015 including the Cleveland Panhellenic spring was a wonderful experience they all enjoyed. Members
scholarship luncheon, Founders’ Day luncheon and a of the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter enjoyed time
cooking class. They also planned participated in a local together at philanthropy events, evening happy hours and
arthritis walk. With an “Around the World” theme, the other social gatherings. They made it a goal to also partner
Columbus Alumnae Chapter held meetings and dinner with their local collegiate chapters for more frequent social
gatherings at a variety of restaurants to try different events. The Pittsburg Alumnae Chapter held their annual
cuisines. To encourage attendance at meetings, they Founders’ Day luncheon and also enjoyed a sisterhood
had raffles at each meeting. A few of their other favorite event at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to see
gatherings were the potato bar night, Founders’ Day the fall flowers.
brunch and cookie exchange. They also enjoyed making
rice stuffed hot/cold packs that looked like pandas. The Rhode Island
Dayton Alumnae Chapter had a great time at their
paint night fundraiser event, where they raised $180 for The Rhode Island Alumnae Chapter organized an outing
Arthritis Foundation. The Mahoning Valley Alumnae to a Newport Polo match during the summer months, and
Chapter kicked off the year by participating in the Walk to enjoyed other outdoor activities like a trip to Diamond Hill
Cure Arthritis at the Cleveland Zoo with sisters from Phi. Vineyards and pumpking picking at a nearby patch. They
They hosted a wine and spirit tasting event to support participated in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis and
the Arthritis Foundation in May. Some of their favorite supported the Beta Upsilon Chapter, including the jointly
sisterhoods were a hot air balloon festival, pottery painting sponsored Founders’ Day.
and Pure Barre class. The Toledo Area Alumnae Chapter
continued their monthly book and restaurant clubs. They
had an event with the Alpha Psi Chapter, where they

57

AlumnaeNews South Carolina Canada

The Charleston Alumnae Chapter celebrated Founders’ British Columbia
Day by taking time to learn more about the lives of our
founders and reading their biographies. They also enjoyed The Vancouver Alumnae Chapter partnered with Beta
several sisterhood activities throughout the year. Kappa in Vancouver’s June Walk to Fight Arthritis and
prepared bagged lunches and snacks for the chapter
Tennessee women during recruitment. They also enjoyed a
cocktail reception in downtown Vancouver to celebrate
The Nashville Area Alumnae Chapter had a busy 2015 the chapter’s 70th anniversary and to recognize
with dinner group outings, Founders’ Day celebration and outstanding members.
their annual service project, Read Across America. Other
activities they enjoyed were pottery painting, hiking, a trip Ontario
to a local pumpkin farm and a holiday party. They raised
$3,600 and had 49 people on their Jingle Bell Run/Walk for The Ottawa Alumnae Chapter enjoyed many sisterhood
Arthritis team. and philanthropy. A few highlights from 2015 included
assisting the Gamma Chi Chapter during fall recruitment,
Texas museum visits, a family pool party, their annual potluck
brunch and a festive holiday gathering where they raised
The Houston Alumnae Chapter created special interest donations for a local women’s charity. The Toronto Area
groups to engage chapter members and plan sisterhood Alumnae Chapter had a special Founders’ Day brunch
activities specific to what the women in each group where alumnae shared AOII stories. They had several lunch
wanted. Some of their favorite events were paint nights, and dinner gatherings throughout the year, attended
seasonal socials and holiday parties. They also participated yoga classes together and participated in the Terry Fox Run
in the Houston Astros Strike Out Arthritis! event and the for Cancer.
Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis. One of their favorite
service projects was collecting stuffed panda bears Quebec
throughout the year to donate to children with arthritis.
The Montreal Alumnae Chapter had a busy year with the
Virginia Kappy Phi Chapter at events like Kick-Off Wine & Cheese,
where alumnae members wrote welcome cards to Kappa
The Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter enjoyed a Phi’s incoming new member class. In early November,
variety of social activities including frequent brunch they held their annual Strike Out Arthritis! Bingo event and
gatherings and happy hour outings. Sisters also enjoyed began planning for their Founders’ Day brunch.
their annual holiday tea event at the Ritz Carlton. The
chapter helped the Gamma Alpha Chapter during their
annual arthritis awareness week in October, which ended
with a “Smoke” Out Arthritis! barbecue dinner.

Wisconsin

The Madison Area Alumnae Chapter enjoyed their
annual retreat by Lake Michigan. The weekend was full
of fun activities like shopping at local stores and visiting a
nearby apple orchard.

58| Spring 2016

2015 Recap

1

23
1 Baton Rouge alumnae
2 Beta Gamma (Michigan State U) alumnae
3 Vancouver alumnae

59

FoundationFocus Scholarship Spotlight

When Maureen Tokar entered college Kelsi Stephens and Maureen
at the University of Cincinnati (Theta Tokar were able to meet
Eta) in the mid-1950s, she was one of
only a few women in the architecture December 2015 in Chicago.
program. Excelling in male-dominated
courses at that time came with many
challenges, but Maureen never let that
stop her from pursuing her passion.

“It was so difficult—I’ll admit it, but I
enjoyed it and I wanted it and I ended
up being an architect all through my
life and I even married one,” she said.

More than 60 years later, the field “Thank you, Maureen, for helping me pursue my passion,
continues to be dominated by men, showing your endless love and compassion in so many ways,
which was part of Maureen’s decision
to begin a scholarship for an AOII and for being such an inspiration to me.” -Kelsi Stephens
member in good standing who is
studying architecture. while she was a student at Ball State “Getting to spend time with someone
University. Though Kelsi had a long- who shares my love for AOII and for
“My husband and I didn’t have any time passion for the industry, it wasn’t architecture is extremely special to me,”
children so I decided that maybe I until her hospital stay that she realized Kelsi said.
could help out other girls and give the role architecture plays on the lives
them a little help financially and of others. Kelsi shared that Maureen’s knowledge
otherwise who are studying in the field of the industry and her advice for
because it’s still a very difficult field for “Architecture is an art form that has a working in a male-dominated field
women,” Maureen said. “There are still a direct impact on us every day,” she said. were particularly inspirational
very miniscule number of women who “It is the places we live our lives in.” and encouraging.
are in architecture or are
practicing architects.” After Kelsi was awarded the “Her enthusiasm, passion and
scholarship, she and Maureen began perseverance is an amazing example of
The first scholarship was awarded communicating via letters, but living what it means to be a strong woman
last year to Kelsi Stephens, who in close proximity to one another in her career,” Kelsi said. “I have learned
graduated from Ball State University afforded them the opportunity to meet more from Maureen than I could have
(Kappa Kappa) in 2015 with a degree in December 2015 for lunch in Chicago. ever imagined and am so lucky to call
in architecture and is now pursuing her a sister, friend and mentor.”
a graduate degree in healthcare
architecture at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign. She selected
healthcare architecture as her program
focus after developing an interest in
hospital designs when a car accident
hospitalized her for several days

The Maureen C. Tokar named scholarship is specifically for architecture students; however, there are more than
70 named scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and returning alumnae, in addition to Diamond Jubilee
Scholarships available to all members.

For more information about Foundation scholarships, visit www.aoiifoundation.org.
Scholarship applications for the 2017-2018 academic year will be available on the website November 1, 2016.

How to CREATE a Named, Endowed Scholarship

Step one: Complete a Named Endowed Fund Questionnaire, determining the scholarship

criteria and eligibility. Return questionnaire to Jana Adkins at
[email protected].

Step two: Decide on how your scholarship will be funded.

Option one: Make an initial cash* contribution of at least $5,000 and agree to contribute additional
funds over the next five years, for a minimum of $25,000. (Initial contributions must be made

by October 1, of each year in order to award a scholarship the following spring.)

Option two: Launch the scholarship with a cash* gift of $25,000. (Remember that additional gifts are
encouraged to increase the corpus of the fund and allow for larger awards or multiple

scholarships over time.)

Step three: Finalize your commitment by signing a Scholarship Gift Agreement that has been

customized to fulfill the intent of your scholarship.

Step Four: The AOII Foundation Scholarship Committee selects a recipient based upon the

criteria you have specified.

How You Benefit

- You have the flexibility to support sisters who are members of your chapter and/or an area of
study that’s important to you.
- The AOII Foundation staff manages all administrative processes for you including
investment, scholar selection, marketing, and publicity.
- Your scholarship will be endowed, allowing your gift to live on in perpetuity. Gifts to your
scholarship are invested to provide income to be awarded as you have directed.
- You’ll receive information on the scholarship recipient and may have the opportunity to
meet the recipient of your gift.

For additional information please call the Foundation Office at 615-370-0920.

* Cash may also refer to donations of stock or other cash equivalent. 61
Reminder: All endowed funds are invested through sound investment
vehicles and are subject to the fluctuations (gains/losses) of the market.