2012: PI PSI OMEGA 25th ANNIVERSARY
Pi Psi Omega is celebrating its 25th
anniversary. Along with a slate of programs that honors its 25 years of servicing the Rockland County community, the Chapter will host its 25th Anniversary "A Pink Carpet Affair" Evening Gala: Celebrating 25 Years of Sisterhood and Service on June 9, 2012. This will serve as the year's major fundraising event for
programs and scholarships.
FROM 1987 TO 2012
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. issued a
charter to the Pi Psi Omega Chapter of Rockland County, formerly named the
Tappan Interest Group. The chartering ceremony took place on June 20,
1987, at Images Restaurant, Blue Hill Plaza, Pearl River, New York, making Pi
Psi Omega the 23rd chapter in Cluster III of the North Atlantic Region.
The charter members were as follows: Anita Abrahams, Vera Allen, Patricia
Astwood, Patricia Boyd Dumas, Barbara Branch, Shirley Brindle, Alice M.
Collins, Eleanor M. Delfyett, Alexandreena Dixon, Lissa Gittens, Paula Hilbert,
Jacqueline Holland, Brenda Hundley, Joan Christian Johnson, Sally Morton, Julia
Thompson, Paula Watson, Ruby Wilson and Beverly Wood. Former Presidents
of the Chapter include Dr. Jacqueline Holland, Joan Christian Johnson, Shirley
Brindle, Patricia Astwood, Gloria Carter Cozart, Alexandreena Dixon, Rubye
Brown and Virigina Beasley. Delaina Dixon serves as Chapter president through
2012.
PROGRAMS THE HEART OF PI PSI OMEGA
From the time of its
inception in January 1986, the Tappan Interest Group held many of its meetings at
the home of Dr. Jacqueline Holland. The Interest Group hosted its first
Teen Age Pregnancy Prevention Conference at Sterling Forest, New York in that
year. One of its fundraising activities was a "One Woman Fashion
Show" featuring the late Soror Cyril Hunt. By 1988 the newly formed
chapter was successful in obtaining a March of Dimes grant to further its work
in Teen Age Pregnancy Prevention.
Pi Psi Omega past programs include the Ivy AKAdemy which catered
to the community's children, ages seven to 12, by providing them with cultural
enrichment, emphasizing the history of notable African-Americans and teaching the
art of banking, savings, home ownership and investing. A Saturday reading
program and children's ONTRACK Step Team were conducted under this umbrella.
Pi Psi Omega was one of the first sponsors of the County Juneteenth
celebration. With a $5000 grant from the County Legislature, the chapter's
Juneteenth Committee sponsored the first ever African-American parade in Rockland
County. In December 1999 the first Senior Citizen Breakfast was held. The
chapter has sponsored this successful breakfast, which has evolved into a
Senior Bunch, annually for its elders and has received rave reviews. In
2011 a canned goods drive component was added to the Dec. 10, 2011 festivities.
Listed among Pi Psi Omega
past programs are AKA Coat Day; Partners in Math and Science, (PIMS); College
and Historical Tours, to which the Rockland County Youth Bureau contributed
$7,000; and Health and Beauty Fairs. In 2007 Pi Psi Omega
conducted an "Entrepreneurial Tea" on April 29, 2007, at the
Nanuet Mall, read and discussed Wealth
Happens One Day at a Time by Brooke Stephans, presented a forum that focused on helping to build a
strong foundation for black families, adopted two Black families with male
children and continued its signature programs: Rites of Passage, Thanksgiving
Food Baskets and International Shoeboxes that provided African children with
school supplies and toys.
Pi Psi Omega continued
several of its traditional programs in 2010, including its last class of Rites
of Passage and its Senior Brunch. In 2011 Pi Psi Omega implemented its Emerging
Young Leaders Program, the signature program of Alpha Kappa Alpha's 28th
International President Carolyn House Stewart, to teach leadership skills to
girls, grades sixth through eighth. Other programs established in 2011 include
the AKA Recycles Resources Remarkably Workshop for children attending
Youthfest, and Home Ownership seminars.
PI PSI OMEGA AWARDS
For its programs and service to the community, Pi Psi Omega and
its Sorors have received numerous awards. Among them are Patricia
Astwood, Unsung Hero North Atlantic Region (NAR) 1990; Best Chapter of the
Year: Second Place North Atlantic Region 1995; Alexandreena Dixon:
Basileus of the Year Small Chapter, NAR 2000; Father F. Peter Malet Outstanding
Youth Service Organization Award: Rockland County Youth Bureau 2000; Best
Chapter of the Year: Second Place NAR 2001; Membership Retention Award: NAR
2005; and EAF Membership Awards: 2000 to 2010. Pi Psi Omega has the honor
of being the coordinating chapter for the issuance of Alpha Kappa Alpha vanity
plates in the state of New York.
Pi Psi Omega awards annual academic scholarships to Rockland
graduating high school seniors. The funds are raised through our annual
scholarship event. The first annual scholarship luncheon began in
1989. In 1998, this annual event was changed to a dinner dance and in
2006. In 2010 the chapter began hosting its Spring Fling to raise money for
scholarships, and its Pink Magic Masquerade Ball, held in 2010 and 2011.