Sisterhood is a powerful bond that lifts us up, offering strength in times of struggle and joy in moments of triumph. It is through the unwavering support of those who stand by us, share our dreams, and cheer us on through our challenges that we find the resilience to keep moving forward. Together, we rise stronger, braver, and resilient.
The Friendship Fund provides gifts to Thetas experiencing extreme financial hardship due to serious or terminal illness, job loss, natural disaster, and other devastating occurrences. Often, we focus on the tangible needs that gifts from the Friendship Fund provide to our members during times of financial hardship, but I've come to learn that Friendship Fund gifts also provide recipients with the gift of resilience.
Most recipients of the Friendship Fund would probably tell you they never expected to need a gift, but in their time of urgent need, opening their mailbox and receiving a check from the Fund offered them not only monetary relief, but peace of mind. They might tell you that at a time when they felt most alone or overwhelmed, they were speechless to learn that their sisters were looking after them. They might tell you that their appreciation, gratitude, or love for Kappa Alpha Theta was never greater than in that moment.
A gift from the Friendship Fund is not only monetary. It is a gift of sisterhood, love, and support that enables the recipient to recover from adversity. Knowing that she was thought of in her time of darkness, each Friendship Fund recipient is lifted, finding a spirit of resilience within that might not have been there before.
This past year, I have again seen requests for Friendship Fund gifts grow seemingly exponentially. Hurricanes Helene and Milton, along with other dire situations, have led to several requests in such a short period of time, far outpacing requests in my first term. Members seeking assistance from the Fund write to not only give their sisters desperately needed financial aid, but also hope and strength. Members in need receive gifts that not only provide them with basic necessities and Shelter, but also support them on their journey to recovery.
Of resilience, Katherine Feagin Jeter, Alpha Theta/Texas, said it best in the Spring 2020 issue of the Theta Magazine: A [Theta] is one who desires to live every day with a purpose greater than herself. She expresses acceptance, love, and gratitude to everyone with whom she comes in contact. And she fearlessly recruits resilience in the face of life’s toughest moments and tallest mountains. In life’s toughest moments and tallest mountains, a gift from the Fund can be an unexpected recruit, so I hope you will consider giving to the Fund in honor of Founders Day and Theta’s 155th year in 2025.