Welcome!

Ellen Voss and Judi Herbert (front center) stand proudly with fellow Michigan Sigma Kappas on the stairs at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

Happy August!  July was an exciting month for Sigma Kappa Sorority!  Sisters from around the world came together to Celebrate the Magic of Service on July 7-11th in Orlando, Florida for our 84th National Convention.  The week was filled with plenty of sunshine, shopping, and Starbucks. We were entertained and engaged by speakers and workshops. We were inspired by Colby Award Recipients Cheryl Stanton Bachelder, Nancy Brown Bicket, and Sandra Tauberg Bartley Hess. We celebrated as Honor Initiates Julie Laperouse and KaAnne Morris joined the Mystic Bond and Judi Herbert was presented her 50 year pin. We even watched fireworks with Mickey and Minnie. It was a great time to be with sisters!

As we left Orlando inspired as Sigma Kappas, the alumnae team hit the ground running. We are very excited to share our ideas and projects in every issue of the Virtual Violet. In this issue you will read about the alumnae highlights from Convention including an exciting Alumnae Showcase and the Promise for Alumnae Program. We will also shine the spotlight on the Southwest Florida Alumnae Chapter and Laura Mobley from Onsted, Michigan.  If you are a new alumna, or this year is just another petal on your alumnae violet, this issue is for you! We hope you enjoy the Virtual Violet and are inspired to grow and bloom in our sisterhood!

~ Loyally,

Amy

Programming - The Alumnae Showcase

The alumnae team held a new event at convention which we hope becomes a new tradition. The Alumnae Showcase brought alumnae and collegians together for an informal social event spotlighting many of our successful alumnae chapters! Prior to convention, the alumnae team requested some of our award winning chapters to showcase their unique programming ideas, whether it was fundraising, collegiate relations, sisterhood events, or chapter communication. These chapters created displays that were featured in the ballroom where everyone enjoyed conversation and treats as participants mingled through the room, learning and socializing at the same time.

Did you know one of our alumnae chapters raised over $1,700 for the Sigma Kappa Foundation, driving to a cure with a classic car show?  Or that our newest chapter and one of our reorganized chapters do all of their communication online?  Have you heard about sisterhood of the traveling Sigmas where one chapter is planning a visit to a nearby city and alumnae chapter for the weekend?  Our chapters are doing so many wonderful things and this year we were finally able to highlight them in a way others could learn from.

Our Honor Initiates, Julie Laperouse and KaAnne Morris, and our newly elected National Vice President for Alumnae, Amy Denson, were on hand to meet and greet with the attendees as well as representatives from Mu and Lambda chapters, who both showcased their 100 year anniversary!  Finally, all chapters, collegiate and alumnae, picked up their sister chapter assignment for the next year, along with a Dove chocolate. Click here to view the displays and pictures from the event.

To share even more programming ideas for our alumnae chapters, we also launched the new and improved Promise for Alumnae Program. The program has been expanded to include programming ideas on all four of Sigma Kappa’s core values:  personal growth, service, friendship and loyalty. Chapters were given ten new programming ideas for each value - that’s 40 new programming ideas to plan your upcoming year! Stacy Kraus, past director of alumnae programs and Kathi Szabo, current director of alumnae programs, worked on revamping the Handbook for the Vice President of Programming this past spring.  The handbook had many ideas and step by step direction for personal growth programming, but was long overdue for change. Although the handbook is still being edited, it should be posted on For Sisters Only this fall.

Congratulations to the Alumnae Award Winners!

The three Colby Award winners, along with the other Alumnae Award Winnners and a description of the awards won are here. To view a video summary of the entire 2010 national convention, click here.

Want to Join the Alumnae Team?

Check SigmaKappa.org in the coming days for the job description and more information on applying to be the new alumnae director of expansion. If you have immediate interest, please contact the national vice president for alumnae, Amy Denson, at alumnae@sigmakappa.org.