FALL 2023 Volume LXX
THE Columns
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ALPHA GAMMA DELTA FOUNDATION
WELCOME
TO OUR LOYAL DONORS
ALPHA GAMS ARE
Alpha Gamma Delta is loving, leading and lasting thanks to our loyal donors. This newsletter is published to share your impact, and to thank you for believing in our Foundation’s mission of providing essential support for women’s education, philanthropy and leadership.
Loving
LOVING OURSELVES At its core, Alpha Gamma Delta’s Purpose is about love-to love learning, to love others, to love service, to love our community. In order to reach our full potential and attain these high ideals, we must care for and love ourselves. According to Chapter Wellness Advisor Kirby Cannon, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Upsilon-University of Oklahoma, many of our youngest sisters struggle transitioning from high school to college and balancing school, work, extracurriculars and personal relationships. With so much on their plates, self-care and mental wellness fall to the backburner, leaving sisters stressed, burned out and overwhelmed. “When we neglect our mental health, we put ourselves in a position where our body eventually says, ‘you have to take a break,’” Kirby said. “It may look like disconnecting from a class, having a physical illness, maybe having a more intense mental health crisis, but it will eventually get there.”
Mental health challenges among collegiate women are not new. For generations, our sisters have faced challenges surrounding mental health, yet for generations, the topic was avoided, deemed taboo and left unaddressed. Add new pressures of social media and increased pace of change, and the struggle is amplified. Today, Alpha Gamma Delta is writing a different story for her members. Since 2019, our Fraternity has prioiritized mental health education for our collegians and those who advise them. Thanks to your Annual Fund support, the Foundation has underwritten more than $240,000 in support of mental health programming and one-on-one chapter consultations. Resources are available to all members in Acorn, Alpha Gam's digital education platform. "Being able to talk to collegians about mental health is really significant," Kirby said. She explained that talking openly about it helps maintain important relationships with sisters. By investing in mental health, we allow our members to prioritize their well-being so they can enter academic and professional settings with a clear and healthy mind. “Being in high stress situations where you are in a fight, flight or freeze headspace is going to keep sisters from retaining information academically,” Kirby explained. “And when it comes to leading people, it's about relationships. Having the emotional intelligence to maintain a relationship with the people that you're leading will create more success than just trying to push through.” “When Alpha Gam talks about mental health and wellness, it takes away the stigma and shame of needing support or resources,” Kirby said. “We are going to see a lot more leadership and better communication that will trickle down to future generations. What we're doing now has a positive long-term impact.” www.alphagammadeltafoundation.org | 1