The Unending Impact of a Supportive Sisterhood

The impact of Pi Beta Phi is one of commitment, loyalty and Sincere Friendships. The love and care we show one another as sisters extend beyond the bounds of our chapter facilities, reunion gatherings or virtual connections. The power of Pi Phi sustains us in all we do, and that power has the potential to impact the lives and priorities of those beyond our sisterhood.

Growing up, Lauren McDermott Powelson heard about the power of Pi Beta Phi from her beloved aunt, Pennsylvania Epsilon MARIANNE MCDERMOTT HART. Marianne had a special connection to Lauren as her godmother. Without children of her own, Marianne doted on Lauren and helped show her values and the joys of life while imparting knowledge based on her own lived experiences. Some of those experiences were positive, but others marked periods of loss and grief in the elder McDermott’s life.

While in school at Pennsylvania State University, Marianne experienced the tragic loss of her mother to cancer. At only 20 years old, Marianne was coping with profound grief and loss, while fearing she may have to resign from Pi Phi or leave school altogether without the financial means needed to continue pursuing her education. While this was the early 1970s—prior to the establishment of Pi Beta Phi Foundation— Marianne approached a chapter Advisor to find a way to remain in Pi Phi and in school, and her sisterhood made sure she was able to do so.

“I’m not sure how she did it, but her Advisor helped find extra money to make it possible for Marianne to pay her tuition and her dues to stay in Pi Phi,” Lauren says. “That meant so much to her and helped her stay in school after losing her mother. It was both a show of financial and emotional assistance from her sisterhood while she dealt with her grief at such a young age.”

Having heard about the care Marianne’s Pi Phi sisters extended to her at a time of need, Lauren was inspired to make a gift to Pi Beta Phi Foundation in Marianne’s name after her passing earlier this year. Even with multiple giving opportunities—from leadership development to emergency grant funds—Lauren knew the kind of gift she wanted to make to honor her aunt’s legacy and pay homage to her own experience in college. The Marianne McDermott Hart Scholarship will first be awarded for the 2023-2024 academic year and is restricted to collegians from the Pennsylvania Epsilon Chapter.

“I chose to establish a scholarship because it’s what Marianne received, and also so it could carry her legacy forward,” Lauren says. “Choosing to benefit the Penn State chapter was driven by the fact that my sorority chapter had scholarships specific to us, but Pennsylvania Epsilon didn’t currently have that opportunity. Now hopefully someone from that chapter will receive a scholarship every year, and Marianne is the reason for it.”

Marianne as a collegian at Pennsylvania State University, photographed by a Pi Phi sister.

Lauren, an alumna of Phi Sigma Sigma from Temple University, says that as a fellow sorority woman, she knows the value of scholarships as both tools to help students and opportunities to honor the memory of a loved one. Her hope is for Pennsylvania Epsilon members to come to know there are others working toward their academic achievement, cheering them on and providing support for them to reach their full potential. By establishing the scholarship in Marianne’s name, Lauren also hopes her aunt’s memory will live on as a force for good and serve as an opportunity for others to join her in supporting the scholarship fund and giving back to Pennsylvania Epsilon while also honoring Marianne’s memory.

“I hope my kids and family members help carry this forward after I’m gone so Marianne’s legacy can live on,” Lauren says. “We named the scholarship for Marianne because—even though the gift is coming from me—it isn’t about me; this is really Marianne giving back to Pi Phi and it’s her way of showing love and care for the sisterhood that was there for her when she needed it most.”

Lauren says Marianne’s most lasting legacy is her generous spirit and ability to brighten anyone’s day, no matter the circumstance. She not only passed along her commitment to caring for others, but also a love of travel, a desire to learn and passion for the arts. After college, Marianne moved west and became “a real California girl” for most of her life. Lauren says it was hard for Marianne to stay in Pennsylvania after the loss of her mother and she dove into building a full, meaningful life in California with her husband, Gary.

... it isn’t about me; this is really Marianne giving back to Pi Phi and it’s her way of showing love and care for the sisterhood that was there for her when she needed it most.

Reflecting on her aunt’s life and the impact she had on those around her, Lauren is moved by the positive force Marianne was in the lives of those she loved. Her generosity in choosing to give back to Marianne’s sisterhood shows the shared values between them, both as individuals and as sorority women. While Marianne was always trying to uplift those around her, Lauren’s hope in supporting Pi Phi is that—together—they can benefit the lives of Pi Phis for years to come. “She always brightened my day, and now we can do the same for others,” she says. “Something I’ve learned is that you can’t take anything with you when you go and there are so many ways to be generous with what you have.”

Lauren’s gift in honor of Marianne is a token of that generosity of spirit, as is every gift made to support our sisters and communities through Pi Beta Phi Foundation. To learn how you can sustain essential programs including scholarships and grants, visit pibetaphi.org/foundation.