photo from: Julie Murphy’s Facebook
The Delta Delta chapter of Kappa Delta (KD) at Troy University is proud to work so closely with their local philanthropy in Troy.
While KD’s national philanthropies include Girl Scouts and Prevent Child Abuse America to name a few, the Delta Delta chapter has adopted the child advocacy center in Pike County.
The child advocacy center is used for foster parents and the children to seek counseling in order to connect better with one another.
The sisters of Kappa Delta have a teddy bear drive every year so that the children coming to the advocacy center will have something to play with.
The teddy bears are also sent to the Troy police department and fire department so in case an incident happens with a child on-site, the child can have something to hold onto when they’re in need of comfort.
Delta Delta gives 80 percent of the money they earn from their fundraisers to the child advocacy center in Troy and 20 percent to Prevent Child Abuse America.
“I love that we can present the check to the child advocacy center,” sister Eliza Trawick said. “It means a lot to get to actually give it to them and see where the money goes.”
Trawick is a sophomore biomedical sciences major and Kappa Delta’s philanthropy chair.
She was excited to share the chapter’s upcoming plans to raise money for their philanthropy this semester.
Their spring shamrock, taking place March 2 will be their annual 5k run, a mile run and a color run called “Color Me KD.”
The 5k will take place around campus starting and returning back to Sorority Hill on Elm Street at the Kappa Delta House.
To sign up for this event, anyone can get in contact with a sister of KD.
It is $10 for a student to run and $15 for the public that includes the run, a t-shirt and a brunch bar.
Trawick’s favorite part of KD’s philanthropy is getting to see the kids at the child advocacy center.
“To start off they’re really shy, but just with a little love, they’ll open up and they’re more willing to share with you and talk to you,” Trawick said.
Trawick believes next to sisterhood, the top priority in KD is their philanthropy.
“It’s probably what drew me the most to Kappa Delta through formal recruitment,” Trawick said. “The fact that it stays in Pike County and we can do things locally. When I first came, I never would have thought about joining a sorority, but seeing on philanthropy day how service minded they were, and that really drew me in.”
Kappa Delta raised over $20 thousand last spring for their philanthropy and the goal this year is to raise more.
“One thing that we do is that we get to see all of the hard work that we put into our philanthropy go right back into our community,” President Julie Murphy said. “It’s really humbling especially as a member who has worked directly with the philanthropy while watching other members be humbled by it as well. It’s like when you’re a mom watching your children be selfless and give back to the community, my own sisters poured their hearts out into the philanthropy when they see the difference it makes with all their hard work. The look on their face was priceless.”
Murphy is a senior collaborative education major minoring in interpretive training who joined the sorority in fall 2010.
Murphy has also served as the vice president of community service, chaplain, assistant vice president community service, philanthropy chair and public relations chair.
“When I came into KD, I never thought I could be president,” Murphy said. “The sorority gave me the confidence to run for president. If it wasn’t for Kappa Delta I wouldn’t have the confidence in everyday decisions that I make. It’s set me up for reality and it’s helped me prepare myself for what’s going to happen in the real world after college. It’s held me accountable for my actions. This goes for any sister though. Our actions affect every sister in the chapter. It’s made me aware of my actions and what I decide affects all of my sisters.”
Kappa Delta was founded on Oct. 23, 1897 in Farmville, Va. and is one of the four sororities founded at State Female Normal School now known as Longwood University.
These four sororities are known as the “Farmville Four.” The other sororities founded at this college are Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Zeta Tau Alpha.
A clock tower at the university campus actually has a clock face that represents each sorority face.
Kappa Delta has over 230,000 members and 140 active chapters.
“Our motto is ‘Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful and highest,” Murphy said. “We strive for that motto everyday. We always try to have the best potential by using that motto in everything we do,”
In Delta Delta there are several sisters who serve on the SGA executive board including secretary Hope Garner.
Two sisters were recently initiated in Order of Omega and Caitlin Crowe was the 2012 winner of the Miss Troy pageant.
“My favorite thing about my sorority is our ritual because I had already believed in the same beliefs that Kappa Delta instill in each member,” Murphy said. “Our ritual instills a great sisterhood. I really am trying to show the sisters that it’s ok to be who you are, but with that you need to be the best person that you can possibly be and that God has given us certain gifts for a reason. You should grab hold of those gifts and use them not for Kappa Delta, but for everyone around you.”
Murphy believes that Greeks are stereotyped from the word itself and that it’s easy to put a specific stereotype on the Greeks.
“I think these organizations can use the negativity and turn it into something positive,” Murphy said.
“Young girls don’t have the confidence, but as soon as they leave you can really tell that they believe in themselves even if they spend as little as an hour with us. We sleep more peacefully at night knowing that we did that.”
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