Next Stops!!!

Auburn!! They are currently ranked #1 in football and have a home game while I'm there! SO exciting!!





K-State!! This is one of our newest chapters- just colonized this semester! I will be there for their Initiation and Installation where the chapter will be officially reactivated!



Mizzou!! My Aunt and Uncle on my Mom's side went there so I can't wait to see the campus!



MTSU!! Another newer chapter that I have heard so many great things about! This visit will fill in the week and a half or so between my Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks!!

On the road again

So, after a week off for Fall Break, I find myself back on the great Zeta road. I will be visiting Kutztown University in PA until November 2nd but I am not sure yet where I go after that. Kutztown is only about 2 1/2 hours from Thurmont so I got to drive up here yesterday. Though I am very lucky to fly as much as I do, it was a nice change to not have to worry about my bag being under 50lbs (I feel like I can estimate it to the 1/2 pound by now) and if my liquids are all in the right bag. Even though I don't plan on really using it, just knowing that my car is here and accessible to me is a nice feeling- it gives me that sense of true independence that TLCs rarely feel because we rely on the chapter members for so much.

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A quick story from my last visit before Fall Break (Mansfield University in PA)-

The girls at the Eta Epsilon chapter are very much into astrology so while I was there we talked a lot about birthdays. When I said I am a Scorpio, they asked what date my birthday was, knowing that it had to be coming up soon. I said it was November 6th and we had a conversation about how weird it is that I will be on the road, away from family and friends and everything familiar, on my birthday. We talked, wondering what I will do- Do I risk sounding like a brat and tell the girls that it is my birthday? Or do I not say anything and then just accept the fact that I will not be celebrating it until I am home for Thanksgiving? It is a unique situation to say the least. After the conversation I didn't think too much more about it because the day is still weeks away. Then, the last night I was there, the girls surprised me with a cupcake and candle and birthday card. They sang to me and said they "just wanted to make sure it got celebrated." I was so touched by this and feel like it really shows the true meaning of sisterhood. I am so lucky to be in a job where I get to work with people like this everyday.

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Some good news-

Zeta Tau Alpha has been invited to colonize at two new campuses in the Spring:




and



It is very exciting that we are continuing to rapidly grow as an organization...these are the 3rd and 4th new chapters for the 2010-2011 school year!

Happy October! Think Pink!

It has been quite awhile since my last post, due to a very quick but fun stop at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI and a great two week stay at Thiel College in Greenville, PA where I did not have internet access. Thiel gives each of their students a laptop with special security software and does not allow guest computers on the network. My baby MacBook had its feelings very hurt.

Anyway-

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

In case you haven't noticed, since it is October, everything is now pink! Zeta Tau Alpha's official philanthropy is Breast Cancer Awareness and Education and we are partnered with many great organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Yoplait Yogurt (and their Save Lids to Save Lives campaign), the NFL, SELF Magazine and Lifetime Movie Network. These partnerships have allowed me to have some really great opportunities as both a collegian and now as a TLC in regards to participating in the fight against Breast Cancer. While at Ferris State I got to go to the Grand Rapids, MI Race for the Cure as a volunteer. While in Greenville, their chapter president and I drove an hour and a half to Pittsburgh to join ZTA alumnae and collegians from all over PA to pass out ribbons at the Steelers/Ravens game. These were awesome experiences that Zetas all over the country can share.

If your curious- and don't mind me bragging a little bit- here is some info about our partnerships that help us have one of the strongest national philanthropies in the Greek world-

Susan G. Komen for the Cure®– ZTA began an association with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in 1992 when it became the first national sponsor of the Race for the Cure’s National Series Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition Program. Ever since, ZTA has provided the signature pink T-shirts and caps for participants to wear during the race. As part of the Survivor Program, ZTA also provides pink “In Memory Of” and “In Celebration Of” back signs for participants to wear during the Race for the Cure events so they may race in honor of a friend or loved one. The ZTA Foundation also provides an educational item for each Race participant, such as the ZTA Breast-Self Examination (BSE) Calendar Reminder Stickers. ZTA is a member of the Komen Million Dollar Council donating over $3 million dollars to Susan G Komen for the Cure.


Yoplait® – ZTA will soon begin its sixth year of a partnership with Yoplait and its Save Lids to Save Lives® program. The partnership began in 2004, when Yoplait asked ZTA to help collect lids on 10 college campuses as part of a pilot project. Now, Yoplait and ZTA have expanded the effort to all of our collegiate and alumnae chapters. For every lid collected by ZTA, Yoplait donates 5 cents to the ZTA Foundation and 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. By placing Yoplait lid collection boxes all over campuses and hosting special events, Zetas collected over 311,000 lids in 2008!


National Football League – Since 1999, Zeta Tau Alpha alumnae and collegiate members have worked with 23 of the 32 NFL teams to increase awareness of breast cancer at professional football games. ZTA also recently secured a partnership with the National Football League itself. Beginning with the Washington Redskins, over the past 10 seasons, Zetas have helped spread the message of breast cancer awareness to over a million football fans across the country.

SELF – To help further promote healthy lifestyles among its members, ZTA partners with SELF magazine’s annual SELF Challenge. All ZTA members are encouraged to join the program which promotes healthy eating and physical activity. Each year, SELF donates up to $3,000 in the name of the ZTA chapter with the most Challenge participants. As an added benefit membership, each collegiate Zeta receives a complimentary subscription to SELF, including its annual Women’s Breast Cancer Handbook.

Lifetime – Zeta Tau Alpha is one of 11 organizations that has partnered with Lifetime Television to spread the message about breast cancer awareness. When Lifetime premiered its movie “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy,” starring Sarah Chalke, ZTA was its official partner asked its chapters to host Courage Nights—movie viewing parties with informational resources on breast cancer. Lifetime also honored Zeta Tau Alpha as a Lifetime Breast Cancer Hero. “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy” is based on a book of the same title written by ZTA alumna initiate and former Lifetime executive, Geralyn Lucas. ZTA's involvement was mentioned on the “Today Show” during a guest appearance with Sarah Chalke.

(information from www.zetataualpha.org)

Our work with Breast Cancer Education and Awareness is one of my favorite thing about being a ZTA!