Alpha Gamma Delta is an international fraternity for women that exists to provide opportunities for personal development through the spirit of sisterhood.
We support lifelong learning as a means to gain understanding and wisdom.
We promote the value of fraternal membership and commitment to higher education.
We help prepare members to contribute to the world's work.
We advocate lifetime involvement in Alpha Gamma Delta.
Our chapter does a number of things to live by these words:
we value scholarship and encourage each other to well in our classes by studying together, putting our good grades up on mamma's fridge and having scholarship dinners
we work towards our goals both individually and as a chapter
we contribute to the worlds work by volunteering and working with our philanthropy
having a strong sisterhood, being supportive, encouraging, caring and loving towards one another
On occasions though we aren't as congruent:
at times some of us will not participate in volunteering efforts
sometimes we will not have a high turn out for sisterhoods
sometimes we think our involvement will only last the 4 or 5 years we are here at school
All in all I'd say we do a pretty great job as a chapter in following our mission statement and I am extremely proud to be an Alpha Gam!
Alex's Lemonade Stand is a good example of an organization that displays its values to the public. These values are simple too:
Children Hope Family
Determination
Alex was a 4 year old girl with cancer who started a lemonade stand with one goal in mind- to raise enough money for childhood cancer. Alex died when she was 8 but the lemonade stand she started lives on. Every year lemonade stands are set up across the nation to raise money and continue the tradition (PHA ran one last year!). Stands like these have raised more than $12 million. And the cause doesn't stop with just making lemonade there are also extensions of the organization with Alex's Lemonade flavored Mike and Ikes and Rita's Italian Ice, which help raise the total to more than $35 million. All of the profits go directly towards helping fund treatment and research for childhood cancer to help improve their quality of life as well as to help with travel costs for families of kids getting treatment and to provide resources to anyone affected by childhood cancer. All of these embodied the values of Alex's Lemonade Stand and if you watch this video you'll see even more how this organization clearly displays its values.
This organization also makes me think about what we're learning in class, how you can make a difference with one small thing at a time. Just one lemonade stand has grown into a huge foundation for childhood cancer and continues to make a difference every day.
When it comes to values I'm pretty simple. The most important things to me are:
FAMILY-Me and my Dad are very close and the one thing he has told me ever since I was little was that at the end of the day, no matter what happens, you always have your family. He grew up in a big Italian/Sicilian family where that was really important to remember and because I've grown up with that I believe the same. I think to be able to share every experience in life with each other and be there for one another is a great gift.
FRIENDS- The quote "friends are family you get to pick" pretty much sums up the way I view my friends. Especially being far from home my friends become my family and I think its important to be open and honest with them. I would do anything for my friends and I know that my friends would do anything for me.
INTEGRITY-In my book someone has integrity if they aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe, they try to be honest (because honesty is the best policy :) ), they keep their promises and they try to be the best that they can be. I always try to take the high road in most situations and own up to my mistakes because I think that's the right thing to do and I respect others for doing the same.
To me values are what is most important in your life and help you to figure out all kinds of decisions. It doesn't matter if values are influenced by family, friends or completely created own your own as long as they make sense to you and allow you to be happy. "Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievements of one's values"
Who am I? Well to start my name is Patty Fontanazza and I’m from York, PA-like the candy York Peppermint Pattie, which coincidentally is my favorite. My favorite color is pink and I love crafts and baking. I have been to Disney World over 30 times and some may think its obsessive, but what can I say my family has mickey mouse silverware and every Disney animated movie ever made. Yes I’m obsessed but in a good way. I actually hope to work in event planning for Disney some day to recreate some of the seasonal themed events that I’ve enjoyed over the years. But to continue, in high school I ran track and cross country and pole vaulted. I chose Ohio State because I wanted to go to a big school with a great football tradition. Plus mirror lake and the oval are amazing. I’m a second year Strategic Communications major with a minor in Design. I joined Alpha Gamma Delta last winter and absolutely love all of my sisters and the experiences I have had with them.
As far as how I want to change the world, my idea is a pretty simple one. Sorry to bring up Disney again, but the draw of Disney as the “Happiest Place on Earth”, especially for kids, has always had me thinking about the less fortunate children in the world who don’t experience anything like it. I’m not talking about kids who’s parents decide to never take them to Disney, I’m talking about orphans and kids of poverty or of troubled inner city families who are all, in most circumstances, forced to grow up way too fast. I volunteered at an art gallery in high school and we would do weekly art activities with city school children. The happiness they got from making something of their own and being carefree for just an hour each week was awesome to see. To give kids some of their childhood back I think it would be great to run different free programs after school, on weekends, and even a summer camp in all different areas. They can do crafts, play with toys and games, run outside and do other simple activities while interacting with one another. Just allowing them to take away outside stresses and focus on being playful, imaginative, and innocent kids.
And just because you probably weren’t getting sick of Disney already here’s a clip of a commercial for the year of a million dreams:
This just makes me think of how doing simple things for kids (like giving them hats or costumes) seems to make a world of difference to them. If it could be possible to give simple things and opportunities to kids in need then their lives and futures would be much better.
