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NEWS FROM THE GRAND BASILEUS
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International Grand Basileus
Deborah Catchings-Smith
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Greetings Sorors, Philos, and Rhoers!
Welcome to November! It's our time to celebrate and to engage in what we do best; activate our impactful community service. Our goal this year is 10,000 community service hours for the month of November. It is also a time of reflection on our trailblazing and dynamic Founders who paved the way for a spectacular Sisterhood. Embrace each Soror, Philo, Rhoer, and Rhosebud with kindness, compassion, and love. Let's honor the bond of Sisterhood. After all, that's what's in our DNA!
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Official National Partnership
Sigma Gamma Rho entered into an official partnership with the NAACP in October.
We are excited about the efforts pertaining to voter registration, activation, and mobilization for the 2018 Midterm elections. Special appreciation to our International Social Action Chair Judge Anita Laster Mays and her team, International Grand Epistoleus Tamika Williams-Clark, Legal Advisor Debra Hughes, and Executive Director Cynthia Eubanks for the support and helping us to execute our "Ground Game".
We have several Sorors across the country who pursued elected office on the local, regional, and national levels. We applaud their activism and willingness to serve our nation.
Most importantly, we are ecstatic about the significant engagement of Sorors and Affiliates who participated in the democratic process.
NPHC and ESPN Celebration of Service
I was honored to represent our Sisterhood and the NPHC Council of Presidents at the Magic City Classic held in Birmingham, Alabama on October 27th. ESPN is spotlighting the
significant community service impacts of the Divine Nine Sororities and Fraternities. The community service outreach that aired nationally during the Magic City Classic in Birmingham was amazing!
Our sisterhood was well represented. The community service effort was executed by the phenomenal Sorors and Philos of Chi Sigma, Alpha Zeta Sigma, and Lambda Eta Sigma Chapters. They donated their valuable time and talent to paint the exterior of the Smithfield Community Center. The outpouring of courtesies provided was greatly appreciated.
Tremendous appreciation to our ESPN National Liaison Soror Carolyn M. Williams and Executive Director Cynthia Eubanks for coordinating this national initiative. It helps to demonstrate the significant community impacts of the Divine Nine Sororities and Fraternities. Thanks to Southeastern Region
Syntaktes Jakimva Martin, Southeastern Region Grammateus Deloris Shropshire, and International Grand Anti-Grammateus Griena Knight Davis for their leadership and support.
The culmination of the service will occur in Atlanta,
Georgia on December 14-15, 2018 at the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The event will spotlight each D9 organization's service outreach in slated cities. On December 15th, ABC will broadcast live on national television to 20 million households. More details will be released soon.
Video Link:
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Magic City Classic Halftime Interview - Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
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Thanksgiving Acknowledgement
We wish you, your family, and friends a bountiful Thanksgiving Holiday!
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WELCOME HOME SORORS!
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International
First Grand Anti-Basileus Rasheeda S. Liberty
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November is a time where we women of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. remember the bold efforts of our Founders as well as celebrating what we stand for. In the most recent years, we have also welcomed home our Sorors.
We become a bridge for those members who are actively disengaged from the organization. We also help to reignite their passion for Sigma. This year, we have seen a huge surge in reactivations through
Campaign 2022.
Through the Welcome Home campaign, we are celebrating our reactivating members on our social media platforms and our sorority website. Here are some quick tips to help provide a warm sorority re-introduction.
Assume Positive Intent
Avoid making assumptions about a Soror based on her current status with the organization. Instead, seek to understand why she has become inactive.
Share the Good News
Our organization has a lot to celebrate. It is easy to take for granted the strides we are making with creative service initiatives, large scale partnerships, and membership growth. Take the opportunity to share where we are and where we are going.
Create Ease in Transition
At the local level, invite Sorors who want to reactivate to social events, Founders' Day activities, and service projects. It is a lot easier to commit when the environment is welcoming and a Soror can see herself working with the local membership.
Make a Deal
Download and share the Campaign 2022 brochure with Sorors you know are interested in coming back. Offer concessions at the local level to make the transition easier. Please consider waiving or reducing local dues and assessments for reactivated members.
It is an honor to reclaim a Soror. It is our individual responsibility to display a passion for the sisterhood. That could be motivation for a Soror to come back home. Those members who do this will truly enable the membership growth of our organization.
Let's continue to celebrate and share welcome home images on social media using our standard hashtags and #WelcomeHomeSGRHO.
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UNDERGRADUATE FOCUS
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International Second Grand Anti-Basileus
Christie Nance |
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Greetings Sorors!
I hope you all are enjoying Founders' Month! I am in the process of revamping Prissy and Precise and other Undergraduate public relations. It is very important that we are making sure Undergraduates are receiving information and that they are well represented on all platforms.
We also want to make sure all Undergraduates have a voice. In order to do this, an application will be released soon to join the Undergraduate Public Relations team. I am also working on the official release of all of my initiatives in December including Beyond the TORCH and 22 Reasons Why.
Lastly Undergraduates, please be sure that you are completing and participating in community service projects and initiatives. We are the future of this organization. We want to make sure that we are living out our motto "Greater Service, Greater Progress".
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FOUNDERS' MONTH HAS ARRIVED
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International Grand Epistoleus
Tamika Nicole
Williams-Clark
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Greetings Sorors, Philos, and Rhoers,
We have officially entered our Founders' Month Celebration. The excitement on social media has been quite infectious. Below is a reminder about this year's strategy for honoring our Founders' legacy and celebrating our amazing sisterhood.
Official Rollout and Online Celebration Begins Today 11/07/18
Founders' Day Image Releases and International Website Banners
The official Founders' Day Image and the banners on the international website will be released at 12:00am Eastern on November 12, 2018. A Facebook picture frame is available for you to use on your profile photo today, November 7, 2018. You will also receive an e-blast with the official image on November 12, 2018 at midnight.
Social Media Hashtags and Activity
Please be advised that we want to trend on social media platforms. It is important that we use the correct hashtags throughout the month. The official hashtags are as follows:
#SigmaGammaRho
#SGRho
#SGRhoUpdates
This will help to track our presence throughout the month but specifically on November 12, 2018. Please note, there is no specific Founders' Day hashtag this year. Using the hashtags mentioned on all posts will help to put us in a better position to trend on social media.
Founders' Legacy Share
This year, we will be doing a social media activity encompassing all membership categories. The goal is to celebrate the legacy of our sorority's founders and founding date while actively engaging our membership. This activity has three main objectives:
- To demonstrate our connection to the Founders' legacy and vision through brief positive personal testimonies.
- To help to humanize the experience of the sorority to the public.
- To help promote and share knowledge about our affiliate groups, programs, and partnerships.
Participation begins Today, November 7, 2018. Please choose your membership group. Then post the group of questions on your Facebook pages as a status and answer them. Remember to use our hashtags once you create your post. This activity can be done over the whole month of November.
Each category will be listed on our international Facebook page. Please feel free to share all over Facebook.
Sorors:
FOUNDERS' LEGACY SHARE- SOROR EDITION
- Name, Year of Induction, and Chapter
- I Chose Sigma Because...
- My Best Sigma Memory Is...
- My Favorite National Program/Partnership Memory Is...
- My Favorite Affiliate Group Memory Is...
- My Most Significant Sister's Keeper Moment Is...
- Being A Sigma Woman Has Taught Me...
Philos:
FOUNDERS' LEGACY SHARE- PHILO EDITION
- Name and Affiliated Chapter
- I chose to be a Philo because...
- My Best Philo Memory...
- My Favorite Community Service Project is...
- My Favorite Memory with Sigma Gamma Rho Is...
- I Like Being a Philo Because...
- Being a Philo has taught me...
Rhoers:
FOUNDERS' LEGACY SHARE - RHOER EDITION
- Name and Affiliated Chapter
- I chose to be a Rhoer because...
- My Best Rhoer Memory Is...
- My Favorite Community Service Project is...
- My Favorite Memory with Sigma Gamma Rho Is...
- I Like Being a Rhoer Because...
- Being a Rhoer has taught me...
Thank you in advance for participating in all of our activities this month. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at grandepistoleus@sgrho1922.org.
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NATIONAL PHILO AFFILIATES UPDATE
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National Philo Coordinator
Karen Bluitt-Evans
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This year, the Philo Affiliates celebrated 75 Years of friendship with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. It has been a time to reflect upon their past and present accomplishments. The Philo Affiliates are also focused on creating an impactful future.
It was also gratifying to see the courtesies extended to the Philos during the Regional Conferences and Boule. It was especially
heartwarming to see the Philos having the opportunity to be presented with a scholarship. Many Philos expressed how important their engagement with Sigma Gamma Rho has been to them.
Philos are excited about the growth of our friendship in the upcoming years.
They look forward to the next phase in supporting the partnerships and programs of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. They are excited about their continued commitment and dedication to the sorority.
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NATIONAL PROGRAMS UPDATES
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National Programs Chair
Jacqueline Greely
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Founders' Month Community Service Challenge
In honor of our 7 Pearls and 96 Years of Sigma Service, all Sorors and Affiliates are invited to participate in this community service challenge. Over the last two years, we have surpassed the 7,000-hour goal. This year, we have decided to increase our goal to 10,000 hours! Can we do it? Yes we can!
The rules are quite simple:
- The challenge is from November 1 - November 30.
- Individual and Affiliates are to complete a minimum of 2 hours of community service that can take place anytime during the month of November 2018. Note: Any chapter reported community service will be counted towards the challenge.
- Hours must be logged into Golden Service in order to be counted. *Individual (Soror, Philo, and Rhoer) and Chapter (Alumnae, Undergraduate, Philo Affiliate, and Rhoer Club) are eligible. Rhosebuds are to be counted with the Alumnae Chapter.
- National Programs and other local programs/initiatives count towards the challenge.
- Share your pictures and posts with the hashtag #FoundersCSChallenge.
- The last date to enter eligible hours is December 7.
- Be about "Greater Service, Greater Progress"!
We look forward to your participation! Be sure to log your service hours; there will be milestone recognitions made during the report out in December.
Essential Programs Updates
The 2019 Annual Youth Symposium will be held on Saturday, March 9 and the theme will be "Mission Possible: A Safe Space for Youth". Additional information and materials will be available soon.
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SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE UPDATES
Thank You
The Social Action Committee would like to thank everyone for helping to Get Out the Vote during this critical election season. Your actions including, social media posting and shares, canvassing, talking to potential voters and of course, registering voters, have not gone unnoticed. Thank you!
Interested in Running For Office? Are You Already an Elected Officer?
Calling all Sorors and Philos! If you are interested in running for an office the Social Action Committee will be hosting a webinar in the first quarter of 2019. If you are currently in an elected position, e.g. precinct committee person, school board, state representative etc., please email your name, the name of your chapter, your region, your elected position, and the term dates of your elected position to socialaction@sgr1922.com.
Say Her Name: Soror Sandra Bland
On December 3
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, HBO will air its documentary on the life
and death of Sandra Bland. We encourage Sorors to having viewing parties, followed by a discussion on police encounters. We suggest that you invite an officer to speak during the discussion and that you include youth in the discussion as well. We are trying to obtain a copy of the documentary before the December 3
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air date so that chapters may plan accordingly. Look for an e-blast in the near future.
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Please share photos of you performing and participating in community service activities. Send only your four best photos to your Regional Epistoleus. Always indicate your chapter name, location, and community service activity. Let's show service in action!
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