Fort Worth Commission for Women honors TCU chapter of Alpha Chi Omega
For their achievements in fundraising and in volunteerism at The Women’s Center, the Fort Worth Commission for Women will recognize the TCU chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at its annual presentation of the Outstanding Women of Fort Worth 2007 on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at 7 p.m. during the Fort Worth City Council meeting.
Members of the Iota Lambda chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at TCU have committed their time and energy toward helping women and their families recover from domestic violence and rebuild their lives. Through the unfaltering dedication of their chapter members, Alpha Chi Omega has made significant financial contributions and formed a strong emotional connection with The Women’s Center and their clients.
The Women’s Center provides rape crisis and victim services, employment solutions and counseling for women, men and children. For more information about The Women’s Center, visit www.womenscenter.info.
Allison Blank, a junior at TCU and president of Alpha Chi Omega, said that their chapter was excited and honored to hear that they won the award. “We consider ourselves very blessed to share this partnership and are encouraged by all the wonderful things The Women’s Center continues to do in our community,” she said.
Since 1999, Alpha Chi Omega has volunteered and donated to The Women’s Center in Fort Worth and its branch location in Arlington. Their fundraising and volunteer activities include an annual fashion show and silent auction, promotion of The Women’s Center’s community events and internal diaper drives for the children of women receiving help from the facility.
For the last 15 years, the chapter has organized “Alpha Chi Omega Goes Wild for The Women’s Center,” a fashion show and silent auction benefiting The Women’s Center. The fundraising event has grown from raising a few hundred dollars in its first year to raising over $35,000 last year.
In order to prepare for the event, chapter members ask local businesses and retailers to donate clothing for models and items that can be used to raise money in the silent auction. They incorporate other TCU Greek organizations by asking them to nominate two members to represent their chapter as models in the fashion show. Through ticket sales for the event, proceeds earned from the silent auction and donations from local businesses, the fashion show and silent auction have continued to be successful for the women of Alpha Chi Omega and The Women’s Center.
Blank said that they enjoy seeing the direct benefits that are achieved from the money that is donated to the Center. “All of our donations last year went directly to new programming,” Blank stated. “Just knowing that we are able to provide for new opportunities within the Center is extremely rewarding.”
Along with asking each member to volunteer at least four hours a semester at The Women’s Center, they also work together to promote its events. In the next few weeks, they will divide into groups and hang posters in local businesses publicizing The Women’s Center’s 11th annual Victory of Violence Walk/Run.
Beyond donating money and volunteering time, in 2006, Alpha Chi Omega members organized a diaper drive within the chapter and donated more than 11,000 diapers to The Women’s Center.
“We have found that by encouraging our members to volunteer some of their time and energy to the Fort Worth community through The Women’s Center, in return, we have enriched our college experiences and have gained a long-term perspective on how we can continue to give after college,” Blank said.
According to a press release distributed by the Commission, the Fort Worth City Council created the Fort Worth Commission for Women in 1983 to study women’s issues that are important to the community. This year, the Commission has focused its efforts on domestic violence prevention, treatment and education. The 2007 Outstanding Women of Fort Worth recognize women in the community for their efforts, talents and skills addressing these issues.
The commission is also honoring Mary Lee Hafley, CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County and Sandra Stanley, founder of Opening Doors for Women in Need.
