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Alpha Kappa Alpha Establishes New Graduate Chapter To Serve North Hillsborough And Pasco Counties
The South Atlantic Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, In- corporated welcomed its newest graduate chapter, Alpha Alpha Theta Omega, on June 30, 2018.
On this historic day, Alpha Alpha Theta Omega became the 1,025th chapter in the history of Alpha Kappa Alpha and the 175th chapter in the South Atlantic Re- gion.
The 50 members who com- prised the new chapter held a pri- vate chartering ceremony followed by a celebratory lunch- eon at The Westshore Grand Hotel. Dr. Sherell Wilson, chairman of the chapter’s char- tering activities, and her commit- tee chose the travel-inspired theme, “Passport to PEARLfec- tion” for the afternoon based on the group’s most popular interest -- travel.
Family and friends were is- sued a “passport” that entitled them to an afternoon of travel- themed activities and entertain- ment provided by saxophonist Dell O’ Barnes and soloist Shannon Legrand.
Dr. Norma Solomon White, 25th International Presi- dent and Attorney Carolyn House Stewart, 28th International Pres- ident of Alpha Kappa Alpha in- troduced the charter members. They were introduced by Crystal Pruitt, a member of the Zeta Up- silon Omega Chapter in St. Pe- tersburg, who served as the mistress of ceremony.
Regional Director Sharon
Seated (L-R): Cheryl Pyles, Jeanene LeSure, Marissa Weaver, Sandra Weaver, Cassandra Far- rior, Sherell Wilson, Ph.D., Sonja Garcia, Dionne Holt, Romona Sutton, Bianca Crudup, Ph.D., Jose- lynne Forde, Temika Kitchen.
Standing (L-R): Ekecia Taylor, Esq., Marjorie Garcia, Sonja Armstrong, Selena Ward, Cynthia Ed- wards, Gwendolyn Hall, Felita Grant, Ed.D., Anitra Milton, Dinetta Duncan, Hollianne Wright, Mar- lina McClure, Chelsea Farrior, Karen Bell, Ph.D., Victoria "Nikki" Bell, Harriette Williams, Joyonna Gamble-George, Ph.D., Heather Ifill, Renee Singleton-Bell, PharmD., Debra Randall, Ivy Box, Sophia Stallworth, PharmD., Deatra Martiin, Porchia Farrington, Melanie Henry, Jodi Garcia, Debra Sheehy, Joyce Jones-Green, Apu McCray, Apryl Mercer, PharmD., Roslyn Ryans, Marketa Wills, Ph.D., Willa Peterson, Sonjia Little, Akilah Bell, PharmD., Vanessa Nettingham, Danielle Mc- Donald, Teresa Brown, and Monzita Williams.
Sonja Garcia, President, Alpha Alpha Theta Omega Chapter; and Deborah Barnes, President, Gamma Theta Omega Chapter.
twelfth, wrote letters, prose and poetry to veterans and military families. Those letters were pub- lished in a book titled, “Freedom is Not Free: A Tribute to Our Vet- erans and Military Families.” The books were distributed to local schools and the libraries of MacDill Air Force Base and Vet- erans Affairs hospitals.
Alpha Alpha Theta Omega’s first service project took place im- mediately following the lunch- eon. Members delivered 32 floral centerpieces from the luncheon to hospitals and other medical fa- cilities as well as St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, where the chap- ter worshiped the following day.
In addition to Alpha Alpha Theta Omega, there are three other graduate Alpha Kappa Alpha chapters in the Tampa Bay area. The oldest, established 77 years ago, is Gamma Theta Omega in Tampa. The others are Zeta Upsilon Omega in St. Pe- tersburg and Nu Beta Omega in Clearwater. There are also two undergraduate chapters – Zeta Upsilon Chapter at the University of South Florida and Sigma Nu Chapter at the University of Tampa.
“As the newest chapter of the South Atlantic Region, we will re- main true to the sorority’s com- mitment to service,” said Sonja Garcia, the chapter’s newly- elected president. “We will con- tinue to build upon the Alpha Kappa Alpha legacy by providing outstanding programs to those most in need.”
Officers of Alpha Alpha Theta Omega are: Sonja Gar- cia, President; Dionne Holt, First Vice President; Romona Sutton, Second Vice President; Atty. Ekecia Taylor, Parliamen- tarian; Dr. Sherell Wilson, Secretary; Cassandra Farrior, Assistant Secretary; Dr. Bianca Crudup, Treasurer; Joselynne Forde, Financial Secretary; Dr. Akilah Bell, Assistant Financial Secretary; Temika Kitchen, Corresponding Secretary; Marissa Weaver, Ivy Leaf Re- porter; Teresa D. Brown, His- torian; Jeanene LeSure, Chaplain; Sandra Weaver, Hostess; and Cheryl Pyles, Door Keeper.
Brown Harriott was the keynote speaker. She charged the new chapter to be true to Alpha Kappa Alpha’s legacy of “service to all mankind.”
Other program participants included: Donna Douglas, Cluster II Coordinator, who in- troduced the afternoon of festivi- ties. Greeters included Deborah Barnes, President of Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha; Ross Anderson, founder of Men of Vision; Kelley Parris, Executive Director of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County; Tamara Shamburger, Vice Chair, School Board of Hills- borough County Schools; Edson O’Neale, Director of Student Ac-
tivities, St. Leo University; Hills- borough County Commissioner Victor Crist; and Ida Booth, Deputy Supervisor of Elections for Hillsborough County.
Marjorie Garcia, Alpha Alpha Theta Omega’s Scholar- ship Committee Chairman, was joined by Marsha Lewis Brown, 17th South Atlantic Re- gional Director, and Chris Letsos, President/CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, to an- nounce the newly-created Sonja W. Garcia Scholarship.
Jakayla Hambrick of Pasco County was introduced as the first recipient of the scholar- ship. She attends Tallahassee Community College.
The journey to chapter es- tablishment began in the fall of 2016 when eight AKA members recognized that the demograph- ics of northern Hillsborough and Pasco Counties called for consis- tent, sustainable support for the children, women, families in
those communities.
Interest in the expansion
grew rapidly and by the next summer, Coterie of PEARLfec- tion was sanctioned as an interest group. Early community out- reach activities included volun- teering at United Negro College Fund events; donating food and supplies to the needy; and partic- ipating in the annual walk-a-thon benefiting the National Alliance on Mental Health.
To celebrate the success of “Hidden Figures,” – the story of the Black female mathematicians who helped win the Space Race in the 1960s - members treated young ladies to view the movie and donated copies of the book to area high school libraries.
The most impactful service initiative resulted in the group re- ceiving Hillsborough Community College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Grant Award this year. Both Hillsborough and Pasco students, grades third to
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