26 • December 9, 2021 - December 15, 2021
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Education The Wall Street Alphas give hope to homeless
By OLAYEMI ODESANYA Special to the AmNews In h o n o r o f A l p ha P h i A l p ha F rat e rn i t y , I n c o r p o r a t e d ’s 1 1 5 t h a n n i v e r s a r y of existence, members of the Kappa Xi L a m b d a C h a p t e r— w h o a re a l s o k n o w n a s Th e Wa l l St re e t A l p ha s— h e l d t h e i r f i f t h a n n u a l F o u n d e r ’s D a y C o m m u n i t y S e r v i c e P r o j e c t . T h i s y e a r, t h e W a l l S t r e e t Alphas distributed 115 bags of personal care pro ducts (i.e., s oap, de o dorant, lotion, razors), blankets, socks, PPE masks, and snacks to the homeless comm u n i t y i n a n d a r o u n d N e w Yo r k C i t y ’s Penn Station. “ We ra i s e d ov e r $ 1 , 0 0 0 i n d o n a t i o n s from fraternity members and supporters and $1,500 in product donations from Bevel, House of A , and The Covenant House. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi donated space to assemble the p e r s o n a l c a r e b a g s . O u r g o a l w a s n o t o n l y to provide individuals with care package s b u t a l s o t o p l a n t s e e d s o f h o p e ,” s a i d Alpha Phi Alpha member Vincent Cunningham. “Community members that often felt overlooked expressed feeling seen and valued. Those individuals who attended our community outreach shared their appreciation for receiving the care packages. Many of our attendees viewed the care package items (hygiene products, socks, blankets, etc.) as luxu-
(Kahdeem Prosper Jefferson photos)
r i e s , w h i l e f o r m a n y N e w Yo r k e r s , these items would be considered d a i l y n e c e s s i t i e s .” Vincent Cunningham was inducted into the fraternity on April 10, 2010, at the Rho Gamma Chapter at Northern Kentucky University. He is currently the media representative and on the community service committee of the Kappa Xi L a m b d a C h a p t e r. Since the rechartering on Oct. 5, 2002, the Kappa Xi Lambda Chapter have rebranded themselves as the Wa l l S t r e e t A l p h a s . T h e y s e r v e a r e a s in the Greater Metropolitan areas o f N e w Yo r k a n d D o w n t o w n B r o o klyn. The chapter is known for their community service events such as t h e a n n u a l S t o c k- i n g E x c h a n g e f u n d r a i s e r, R e a d A c r o s s A m e r i c a a n d their mentoring program for Black a d o l e s c e n t s , A l p h a G . E . N .T. S . “Our next community ser vice event will be our annual MLK Day of Service in conjunction with the N e w Yo r k a r e a m e m b e r s o f A l p h a Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorpor a t e d ,” s a i d C u n n i n g h a m . “ C h e c k out our page www.wallstreetalphas.com, and our Instagram @ Wa l l St re e t A l p h a s f o r m o re i n f o rmation; volunteers and donations a r e a l w a y s w e l c o m e ! ”
