This week at chapter formal transitions were held for 2023 –> 2024 executive board. The 2023 officers surprised the 2024 officers with flowers! BH is blessed to forever have such strong leaders at the helm

VP Risk Management, Margaret partnered with VP Programming Emma to host a denim painting night for the chapter ahead of the Decked in Denim Date Function. The event was a great night to relax with sisters and embrace our creative sides.

The ladies of Alpha Chi Omega and Delta Sigma Theta and the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Met for dinner the week prior to the Unity My Journey to review facilitation materials and develop a plan for the event for the three chapters.

This Sunday the three chapters joined at Alpha Chi’s chapter house to enjoy fellowship and food (pizzas and drinks) prior to breaking up by year in school into various rooms for the facilitated program. Each room had one facilitator from each chapter – to highlight that the event was truly Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Sigma Theta and Alpha Phi Alpha working together on the program – NOT Alpha Chi hosting.

The main focus of the programming was community, and how connections with the people around you mean feeling seen, heard, and valued. Participants shared times when they felt this way within their chapters and got to hear perspectives from sisters and brothers they had met earlier on in the night. The facilitators emphasized the idea of building community throughout the entire workshop, leading up to the final activity in which they asked everyone to come up with a potential event that the three chapters could collectively execute in the spring semester. Everyone had so much fun doing this and it was so cool to see members of different chapters collaborating to come up with their joint event ideas. When asked to share, the ideas ranged from social to philanthropy to community service events, and the three chapters are extremely excited to pick one when the facilitators meet again in the coming weeks to recap the night and plan for the future.

The ladies of Alpha Chi Omega joined with the gentleman of Alpha Delt to raise awareness and funding for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night. The organizations gathered with the FSU community to celebrate, honor, and remember those touched by blood cancers. The teams and sponsors joined together to bring light to the darkness of cancer. The funds raised by the community fund lifesaving research, advocacy and support for blood cancer patients and their families.

This Volunteer-led Light The Night, was organized by a group of passionate volunteers who are committed to curing blood cancers. Certain aspects like the opening ceremony, the remembrance area, lanterns, and other event-related experiences made the event special for all who attended.

We are excited to share our Light the Night Chair, Ann was the top fundraiser, raising 2,835.00, and Member Megan J (past chair) was in 5th place with $1200 raised. The chapter came in third overall, and 2nd in the greek division with $9,551.00 raised!

As we welcome another October, we also observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Since its adoption in 1992, Alpha Chi Omega has shown continued commitment to this altruism. While we are devoted to this mission year-round, October serves as a reminder of the important impact our members can make.

BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

Did you know that more than 10 million people are affected by domestic violence every year in the United States alone? While some may think of domestic violence as a private matter, the truth is that it can have far-reaching effects on the lives of family and friends. It also impacts the workplace, finances, and the overall physical and mental well-being of those affected. That’s why this October, Alpha Chi Omega is focusing our efforts on building healthy communities.

Supporting your local domestic violence service provider is a powerful way to contribute to a healthier, violence-free community. Our local service providers play a crucial role in our communities by providing essential services to survivors and their families, including housing, financial counseling, mental health therapy and legal assistance. We recommend checking in with them this month to see how you can best support their efforts.

OCTOBER 19: PURPLE THURSDAY

On the third Thursday of every October, organizations and individuals nationwide wear purple in solidarity with survivors of domestic violence. Purple is a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor and commitment to bringing awareness to domestic violence.

LEARN FROM ONE LOVE ON OCTOBER 26

Members joined Alpha Chi Omega HQ and our national partners at the One Love Foundation for a facilitated discussion about the ten signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and learn more about how to cultivate and maintain healthy relationships of your own and in your community.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Alpha Chi Omega provides a full roster of Programs with Purpose related to domestic violence, bystander intervention and sexual assault. These programs, are written in a way that helps us as a chapter facilitate personal growth and a deeper understanding of our connection to domestic violence awareness.

The newest program, “Building Healthy Communities,” used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s four-level social-ecological model to help participants explore the various factors that influence domestic violence and potential prevention strategies. Whether you use these programs in an alumnae chapter, as a conversation guide with a friend or even just to prompt self-reflection.

AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Our philanthropic work is a key part of the Alpha Chi Omega experience and Domestic Violence Awareness Month provides our members with numerous opportunities to make a positive impact. By showing our support for those affected by domestic violence, we can help raise awareness and promote change.

Alpha Chi’s Panhellenic delegate, Kylie, Junior Delegate Ravina, and Alpha Gamma Delta’s delegate, Anna organized a sisterhood tea this weekend. It was a great way to celebrate the Panhellenic spirit! Everyone enjoyed getting to know and engage with the panhellenic sisters – not to mention the delicious treats!

Vp Programming Emma organized pumpkin painting with sisters to celebrate the spooky season!

This week the amazing MyJourney team led the chapter an a program focused on why we ignore obvious problems and how we act upon them.

A gray rhino is an obvious danger that offers us a choice: deny it or deal with it. Humans take these problems for granted all too often and get trampled because of it. Gray rhinos happen in personal lives, at work, in communities and around the world. Why gray? Well, there are White rhinos, which are not white, and there are Black rhinos, which are not black. Despite their names, they are all gray. It’s the most obvious thing about them but we miss that glaring detail.

Members engaged in thought provoking questions, some of which were:

• Sometimes we don’t feel like we can fix the obvious problem because we feel like we don’t have the power to change it. Maybe that is your obvious problem? We have more power over our own lives than we realize.
• Why Do some people see things and deal with them and other ones just look away?
• How much do you know about a situation? How much are you willing to learn? And are you willing to see things even when it’s not what you want?
• How much control do you feel you have over the grey rhinos in your life?

The above questions and more were a mix of rhetorical, share allowed and turn to a neighbor and share. They encouraged our members to think about “Rhinos” in both their personal lives and in the chapter, campus and society as a whole and how to approach them individually and together!

Today ladies of Alpha Chi omega worked alongside The African Student Association from 1:30 pm to 5 pm at Oktoberfest hosted by Elderly Care Services as Cascades. This years Oktoberfest was the Elder Care Services 25th Annual Oktoberfest, which is “a long-standing community event that promises a day of entertainment while making a significant impact on the lives of seniors in the Big Bend” A big thank you to sister Claire for organizing Alpha Chi’s Participation

During the month of October, the ladies of Alpha Chi Omega host events and campaigns to raise both funding for the local Refuge House and raise awareness for Domestic Violence. One of the chapter’s signature annual events is Donuts for DVA. Hosted at 518, chapter members sell tickets to an all-you-can-eat donut event! The ladies decorate custom donuts, and invite the community to share what love is to each in attendance.

Enjoy a glimpse into the event through the photos below