Delta Kappa Omega is setting the standard for community service
Tallahassee chapter of AKA celebrates 75 years of exemplary service
for children, one of numerous service projects.
Photo submitted
Photo submitted
By Gayle Andrews
Special to the Outlook
The monthly meeting was long. It took the ladies three hours to wrap up. For the Delta Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., there was still work to be done.
They adjourned only to switch gears and begin bagging up hundreds of weekend meals for Sabal Palm Elementary School children, which also meant coordinating the logistics of getting the food to the school last Thursday morning.
“Service to all mankind is more than a motto, it is our purpose. There is so much to be done,” said chapter President LeRosa V. Brown.
The chapter’s presence in the community is well known. The sorority is constantly expanding its reach through fundraising and grants. In 2017, the Delta Kappa Omega Foundation was awarded the Community Human Services Partnership Grant which is now funded by the City of Tallahassee and Leon County.
The Providence Center is the building the Foundation is leasing to own. The Providence community is within the grant’s target region which is called “The Promise Zone.” And while the chapter has extensive embedded programs providing tutoring, reading, math, and social work, the Foundation arm of the sorority wanted to do more.
“To continue to serve our community youth and their families is our passion and to see beyond the walls of our center to also serve schools is magnificent,” said Foundation Executive Director Karen Miller.
Under the CHSP grant, the Foundation provides homework assistance, social development, The Spring Break Bash, and Because I’m Happy Summer Enrichment Camp. Since all project work is volunteer driven, the $320,000 that has been awarded impacts the community directly and has served 509 children so far.
During the onset of COVID in 2020, the center closed, but the services continued with certified virtual programs.
“We don’t entertain obstacles,” said Grant Manager Betty Rivers.
The center is in the process of cleaning and sanitizing the electrical, heating, plumbing and air conditioning systems with the goal of establishing a clean and healthy environment
It’s the children, parents, and grandparents who tell the success story.
“I want to say how much I appreciate you, Mrs. Rivers. And Mrs. Mack has, honestly, become a part of our family. We look forward to Ja’Keriah tutoring with her on Wednesday. She’s firm. She’s old school and that’s what I like,” said grandparent Val Green,
The program has made an impression on students like Nadyia Ross, a fourth-grade student who has been involved for several years.
“What I like about tutoring is that I learn something new,” she said. “And, every year I get good teachers.”
