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TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE THE COLUMBIA ALUMNAE CHAPTER OF DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INCORPORATED, AND CONGRATULATE ITS MEMBERS ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR DIAMOND JUBILEE MARKING SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SISTERHOOD, SCHOLARSHIP, AND SERVICE IN THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to learn that the Columbia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta is celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of its founding and the countless good works it has accomplished in the subsequent decades; and
Whereas, founded on January 13, 1913, at Howard University by twenty-two collegiate women inspired to use their collective strength to promote academic excellence and to provide assistance to those in need, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has since blossomed into a global organization with more than two hundred thousand members with more than one thousand alumnae chapters spanning, and serving, the globe. In realizing its mission of service, Delta Sigma Theta now provides an extensive array of public service initiatives through its Five-Point Program Thrust of economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement; and
Whereas, determined to use their collective talents to serve their community and improve the lives of those living there, fifteen college-educated women brought the noble initiatives of Delta Sigma Theta to the Midlands by forming the Beta Beta Sigma Chapter in Columbia on November 16, 1940. The chapter was the first African-American Greek letter sorority in Columbia and only the second graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in the State; and
Whereas, the Beta Beta Sigma Chapter changed its name to the Columbia Alumnae Chapter in 1958, and soon after joined the South Atlantic Region, where it has continued its tradition of public service in educational and economic growth, community and international development, housing and urban improvement, and mental health; and
Whereas, for three-quarters of a century, the Columbia Alumnae Chapter has served the local community by implementing a wide range of public service initiatives organized around the Sorority's Five-Point Programmatic Thrust, including establishment of a day nursery at 700 Blanding Street to meet the needs of working mothers for quality, affordable childcare during the World War II era; operation of a thrift shop for low-income residents of the Waverly community during the 1960s and 70s; and purchase of Delta House on Haskell Avenue in 1979 and Delta Life Development Center at 5307 Fairfield Road in 1996 to house community oriented programs; and
Whereas, these invaluable service projects also include offering black heritage seminars; career fairs; volunteer services at local hospitals and homes for the elderly; health, wellness, social, and economic activities for senior citizens; volunteer reading programs at local elementary schools; voter registration, education, and mobilization; expungement workshops; adult literacy and tutorial programs; and health fairs, forums, and workshops; and
Whereas, the current programs for youth offered by the Columbia Alumnae Chapter focus specifically on preparing middle and high school girls and middle school boys to excel and to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, science, and technology; and
Whereas, since 1962, the Columbia Alumnae Chapter has sponsored a biennial mass cotillion, the Delta Assembly, in which young ladies of scholarship and character are provided a variety of activities designed to prepare them for social, educational, and professional success, and in 2014, awarded more than thirteen thousand dollars in scholarships to the participating young ladies; and
Whereas, since 1942, the chapter has awarded scholarships to other deserving Midlands students for college tuition as well as for summer educational and artistic enrichment and will, in 2015, award nearly twenty thousand dollars in scholarships; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to pause in their deliberations to recognize the valuable contributions of the Columbia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and to express their profound appreciation for its service to the women of our great State. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, honor and recognize the Columbia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and congratulate its members on the occasion of their Diamond Jubilee marking seventy-five years of sisterhood, scholarship, and service in the Midlands of South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Columbia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.
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