Sorority focuses on Maricopa’s youth

By Linette Y. Caroselli

The Be Awesome Youth Coalition has many local partners to assist in its mission of educating youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. is proud to be a consistent partner. Sisterhood, scholarship and service are the pillars of this 94-year-old service organization.

It is the mission of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., which has 85,000 members, to enhance the quality of life for women and their families in the United States and globally through community service, civil and social action.

Currently, there are three active graduate members in Maricopa, and they have been extremely busy upholding the sorority’s motto of “Greater Service, Greater Progress.” Yolanda Ewing is the executive program director for Families First CDC in Maricopa. Javai Harris is an administrative secretary at Maricopa Community Colleges for Healthcare Education and President of Global Peacemakers Corps. I am a veteran middle school teacher in the Maricopa Unified School District 20. Together, we bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the city of Maricopa.

The following programs have been implemented thus far:

• Operation Big Book Bag – Members supplied students with school supplies 2x a year
• Human Trafficking Parent Workshops – Educating parents on how to protect their kids from Internet predators
• Cancer Awareness Workshop – Taught students what cancer was and what they can do to help prevent it
• Youth Symposium/Run Jump Throw Event – Day dedicated to youth at Santa Rosa and Maricopa Elementary Schools promoting the sorority’s national program Project Reassurance’s H3: It’s All About Me – Healthy Living, Healthy Choices and Healthy Generations along with track and field activities
• Co-Sponsored the Families First CDC sixth annual Fashion Show Fundraiser
• Swim 1922 – Partnered with the Arizona Seals for a swim clinic teaching water safety and swimming
• Hosted a Mother’s Day Dinner & Show – Featuring NFocus the Band

Would you like to serve with us? New members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. are accepted on the undergraduate and graduate level. Potential graduate members must hold a degree from a four-year accredited college/university. Contact Yolanda at [email protected].

 

Linette Y. Caroselli is a teacher and a member of Families First CDC.