CT Alpha Delta Kappa - Altruism & Scholarships

Altruism

The Henry Barnard Memorial Fund is one of many altruistic projects that Connecticut Alpha Delta Kappa sisters have been involved with for many years. The fund was created in the 1950’s to help retired CT teachers maintain their standard of living thus enhancing the quality of their lives. Each year at Founders’ Day a check is presented to a representative of the Henry Barnard Fund who is also an Alpha Delta Kappa sister. Each chapter contributes $1.00 per member. Some chapters also collect donations from all active teachers in their school district.

Each year at Founders’ Day an altruistic project is chosen by our State President-Elect. Joyce McAloon chose the Prudence Crandall Center as our 2016 altruistic Founders’ Day project. The Prudence Crandall Center is dedicated to helping individuals achieve lives free of domestic violence by providing care, advocacy, support, and education. For over 40 years the Prudence Crandall Center has been a leader in our state’s efforts to reduce the devastating impact of domestic violence. The center helps women, men, and children achieve lives free of domestic violence, touching the lives of more than 8,000 people annually by building strong families, safe communities, and bright futures. Connecticut sisters will help the center fulfill its Wish List by donating items such as towels, twin sheets, pillows, coffee makers, household cleaning supplies as well as clothing for women, men, children and teens. Donations of flatware and cooking utensilsalong with retail, grocery and gas gift cards and monetary contributions will be donated to round out the center’s Wish list. Connecticut sisters are grateful for the opportunity to support the mission of the Prudence Crandall Center and the difference that it continues to make in the lives of those who experience domestic violence. Together Connecticut Sisters will Step to the Plate.

The generosity of Connecticut sisters is continuous throughout the year. Some of the ongoing chapter projects include: helping to build a playground, community soup kitchens, cancer walk, providing personal products for shelters, camperships, scholarships, St. Jude letter writing, hospice support, tutoring, and supporting local food banks, to name just a few. At our state executive board meetings we have initiated a money raffle to enable the winner to perform a random act of kindness in the name of Alpha Delta Kappa. Beyond our borders, Connecticut sisters have assisted women entrepreneurs in poor and politically volatile countries through Kiva, the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs. Our loans have helped these special women to become economically independent and to improve the quality of their lives and that of their families. We now have a Kiva investment update report at our September, November and March state meetings. It is one small way that CT sisters can help other women to help themselves.

We continue to find ways to share our talents and treasures with others in our global community by making dresses for children in Africa for the Dress-A-Girl Around the World organization. This organization is a nonprofit that provides relief to the children of Africa. Simple dresses are made out of pillow cases and distributed through the orphanages, churches and schools in Africa to plant in the hearts of little girls as well has their communities that they are worthy! The dresses send a message to everyone that the girl who wears one of these dresses is special and loved; therefore, she is less likely to be physically assaulted and abused. This altruistic project is just one more way that Connecticut sisters are committed to making a difference in the lives of children who are at risk. Several chapters have partnered with Days for Girls International, a grassroots 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to provide every girl and women with ready feasible access to quality sustainable feminine hygiene and health education. Sisters donated items for the sustainable feminine hygiene kits such as washcloths, cotton and flannel fabric, cotton briefs and Zip Lock storage bags and participated in a Sew-A-Thon & Kit Assembly Event. These events benefited the Days for Girls project that is overseen by the Kenyan Heath Care Initiative.

Connecticut sisters are committed to making a difference in their schools, their communities and around the world. We continue to promote world understanding through education and personal awareness.

Through our continual support and commitment to improve the quality of life in our schools, our communities and in the global community, we help others to create their own futures and in so doing we have the opportunity to touch our own.

Scholarships

In 1972 Connecticut Alpha Delta Kappa awarded its first Connecticut State scholarship in the amount of $200.00. Since then CT AΔK has encouraged women to connect to sisters by awarding two scholarships annually to young women who are pursuing a career in the field of education. Scholarships are presented to recipients at our annual State Convention in May. Each year two chapters are chosen to award the scholarships. The applicants are chosen from the graduating seniors in high schools where the chapters are located. Qualified female students fill out applications, which indicate their desire to pursue higher education in the field of teaching.

In addition to the many scholarships offered at both the International and regional level, Connecticut Alpha Delta Kappa also offers several monetary grants that provide opportunities for our sisters to grow both personally and professionally. CT chapters can apply for “mini grants” that help to support inter-chapter activities. It is one way that we encourage inter-chapter programs and fraternal fellowship. We also offer a Member Grant Program, “Dollars for Development”, providing up to $100.00 per person. The grant monies can be used for professional development, classroom projects and collaborative school projects that support membership recruitment and enrich and enhance classroom instruction. The timetable for the grants, given twice a year closely mirrors that of the regional mini-grant applications. Each year, the amount of “Dollars for Development” monies available is determined by the State Executive Board based on financial information from the scholarship chair and records of usage. In addition many of our chapters offer scholarship opportunities to students in their communities at home and abroad.

World Understanding projects