Zeta Day Awards

I enjoyed seeing many of you in Kansas City on Saturday for Zeta Day! "Zeta Through the Decades" was a wonderful day with highlights like Mrs. Julia Hill playing heads or tails and then giving a speech, recognizing 5 White Violets including one 75-year member, viewing historical photos and artifacts from our district, playing many games, recognizing graduating seniors, and celebrating with awards.

My favorite part of Zeta Day is presenting awards to deserving women and chapters, so I wanted to post the awards here.

St. Louis alumnae won the attendance award again because 12 members made the trip to Kansas City.

10% Membership Awards went to Flint Hills, KS (19% growth) and Mid-Missouri (75% growth) chapters.

The Alumnae-Collegiate Relations Award went to Mid-Missouri.

Lawrence, KS Area won the Alumnae Website Award.

The Alumnae Service Award went to St. Louis.

Congratulations to our hostess chapter, KC Metro, for winning the District President's Silver Award for Public Relations!

"Experienced the Sisterhood" in New Orleans for ZTA's Convention

It was a great privilege and ton of fun representing Kansas and Missouri alumnae at our 50th National and 39th International Convention. Although I had to leave Friday morning to celebrate my brother's wedding, I was able to "Experience the Sisterhood" and loved every minute.

I arrived early on Tuesday afternoon with other national officers and enjoyed spending time catching up with them. At our national officer dinner, we learned about Mardi Gras krewes and got creative dreaming up our own krewes.

After some training, we started to welcome our Zeta sisters attending as delegates and visitors during lunch on Wednesday. At the opening session, we were introduced to National Council, the ZTA Foundation Board, the National Housing Corporation Board and Traveling Leadership Consultants as they paraded in throwing beads and goodies. Their Mardi Gras floats were decorated luggage carts!

We enjoyed free time to do some ZTA shopping at Crown & Co. and view the amazing new museum-quality historical exhibit. At dinner, we learned to "Laissez le bon Temp Rouler!" (let the good times roll). We enjoyed a delicious meal followed by a King's cake. The sister who found the baby got the honor of being crowned! It was also a fun surprise to welcome the Krewe of Caesar. This is a real Mardi Gras Krewe who dazzled us with their amazing costumes (see photos).

Thursday's opening business meeting included all of the traditional elements that make it so special: the flag processional with all the chapter flags, singing the national anthem and creed of Zeta Tau Alpha, and formal welcomes and greetings. New and reorganized alumnae and collegiate chapters were recognized, and it was a special highlight to receive a baby cup for the Flint Hills, KS chapter.

At lunch we received the State of the Fraternity address and were reminded of everything we have to be proud of. After more free time, we gathered for dinner and celebrated our collegiate Crown Chapter winners.

Thursday concluded with the initiation of Tanya Snyder, breast cancer survivor and wife of the Washington Redskins owner. She has been instrumental in the team's Think Pink! efforts, including a fabulous partnership with ZTA.

Although I missed the rest of Convention, it included more business meetings, sisterhood time in the Crescent City, alumnae Crown Chapter night, the presentation of Honor Rings (including one for yours truly), a sisterhood party with surprise performances by DJ $crilla and the award-winning Epsilon step team, election of our new National Council, the Silver Awards banquet and a jazz brunch. To "experience the sisterhood" yourself, check out the ZTA webpage (www.zetataualpha.org) and the ZTA Facebook page.

Now, make plans to attend ZTA Convention 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky!

My ZTA Travels

One of the best parts about my job as District President is the opportunity to travel to all of my alumnae chapters. I always enjoy visiting the alumnae friends I have met through the years and meeting new sisters. I learn more from my chapters than I probably teach them, and I always leave inspired by the amazing things alumnae in our district are doing.

My visits this year started in Manhattan, KS. I met with the alumnae there and helped them vote on their official chapter name and very first slate of EC officers. We had a great time at the local coffee shop in Aggieville, and I shared some ZTA history in honor of Founders' Day coming up. I am so happy that the Flint Hills, KS alumnae chapter is organized and the newest one in our district!

Just a few weeks later I traveled to Joplin, MO to meet with local alumnae and one collegian. I was joined by one of our Province Presidents, and we talked about getting the Tri-State chapter organized again. I am proud of these ladies for making it a priority to organize two events since then. I look forward to seeing them fully reorganize before the end of the year.

The weekend right after my visit to Joplin took me to the KC Metro chapter. I joined the EC officers for a retreat and spent a couple of hours working with them on all sorts of topics. Our focus, however, was on membership recruitment and surveying members. I am confident that these women will continue to grow as a chapter.

Finally, in early December I traveled to Columbia to meet with the Mid-Missouri chapter. We had a nice lunch downtown, and we talked about member recruitment. They have good plans in place to recruit many women, especially in the Jefferson City area.

If time allows, I will visit the Lawrence, KS Area alumnae chapter soon, and I will of course be at Zeta Day in Springfield. My last travel for the year will be to New Orleans for Convention! I am very excited about this and hope to see many alumnae from our district there, especially to receive Crown Chapter awards!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I wish you all a wonderful end to 2009. May you be blessed with joy and peace and the opportunity to surround yourself with your favorite people. More than ever we are reminded of that most valuable treasure: "love, the greatest of all things".

Thankful to be a Zeta Alumna!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would post a top 5 list. Here are the Top 5 Reasons I Love Being an Active ZTA Alumna:

5. I stay connected to all the ZTA happenings locally and nationally.
4. I get to share wisdom with collegians and draw energy & enthusiasm from them.
3. I have lots of fun and informative activities scheduled for me to choose from!
2. I can serve my community and promote breast cancer education & awareness.
1. I have made so many new friends and strengthened the ties of sisterhood!

My alumnae membership has enabled me to build on my collegian experience by exposing me to even more amazing women and opportunities. I cannot imagine my Zeta experience only lasting a few short years in college. For me, Zeta is forever!

I am very thankful to be a ZTA alumna, and I give thanks for all of my sisters.

DP Travels & Official Visits

October has been a busy month for your humble District President. I started the month by traveling to Manhattan, KS to meet with local alumnae on October 3. We gathered at a local coffee shop and made great progress with establishing the new Flint Hills, KS alumnae chapter. They selected their name, set the dues level and voted in their first slate of EC officers. This dedicated group has 15 dues-paying members and is on track to be fully chartered by the end of the year. They are eager to welcome ZTA back to the Kansas State campus in the fall of 2010!

I joined the Province President XVIIB in Joplin, MO to meet with alumnae about Tri-State of Joplin chapter reorganization and opportunities for Eta Upsilon advisors on October 24. The alumnae there are getting organized for the year and look forward to renewing their legacy of sisterhood and collegiate support. They are making plans for two events before the end of the year!

On November 1, I joined Kansas City Metro EC officers for a great retreat and planning meeting. We covered many topics, but most of our discussion centered on increasing membership and participation. We discussed strategic recruiting, the importance of follow-ups and personal contact, diverse programming and evaluating programs and how to foster emotional connections for women. They are processing some feedback from members and may do a survey in January. They are working hard to double their current membership level and achieve Crown Chapter at Convention this summer!

I am very proud of the hard work going on all throughout our district, and I look forward to meeting with Mid-Missouri and Lawrence, KS Area alumnae this year as well. Check the blog for more updates!

ZTA National Leadership Conference 2009

I recently returned from National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Indianapolis, where the topic was “The Business of Sisterhood.” What is Zeta selling? SISTERHOOD! What is our goal? TO BE THE GROUP OF CHOICE! The entire week was focused on the topic of marketing Zeta to not just potential new members at the collegiate level, but to our own collegiate and alumnae members as well. With so many choices available to us, how do we decide where to direct our time and resources? Of course, we will choose the organization that best meets our interests and needs, and ZTA can do that for each of us.

District President Travels & Official Visits

It has been a busy couple of months for your humble District President! In January, I traveled to Springfield, MO to visit alumnae and participate in Province Wide Officer Training (PWOT). I enjoyed a delicious coffee at a local hangout in Springfield and had a great conversation with the President and PR/Historian of the Springfield alumnae chapter. When the President and I got back to her house, we chatted until the wee hours of the morning and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company! PWOT was an excellent day for everyone, and I assisted with the PR/Image session for collegians. I met with the Zeta Day Chair-women, and I also enjoyed spending time with other alumnae I do not see very often.

In February I met with KC Metro alumnae EC officers for a great officer training session. We all brought salad toppings to make our own salad bar buffet, and we covered a broad range of topics that included the Crown Chapter Award, ZTAF contributions, alumnae recruitment and retention, programming and service. KC Metro officers have created useful and attractive notebooks to assist them and the future officers to follow in their footsteps.

In March I stayed closer to home (literally, since I hosted the meeting at my house) for the Lawrence, KS Area chapter visit. The chapter elected its new EC officers for 2009-10 and enjoyed some delicious brunch items. They have had a food/cooking theme all year, so members who attend meetings with food take home a couple of recipes for the things that they sample! I talked about Zeta Day and showed the philanthropy recruitment video and parts of the new member education video.

In April I am headed to St. Louis for Zeta Day, and in July I will travel to Indianapolis for National Leadership Conference. My ZTA travels are a fun way to connect with my Zeta sisters and serve the fraternity that I love dearly.

It's Great to be a Zeta in October!

I can hardly believe that October is here, but I am always happy to start this month. The air is a little cooler and holidays are right around the corner. For Zetas, collegians and alumnae are enjoying the renewed friendships and new sisters that result from kicking off a new year.

We have so much to celebrate in October, especially our founding. This Founders Day is special because we celebrate 110 years of sisterhood. Our National President and nine former presidents are gathering at International Office in Indiana to sign the newest edition of "ZTA History".

Of course, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so Zetas get busy promoting the cause so dear to our hearts. We always "Think Pink!", but we take on all sorts of activities such as collecting pink Yoplait lids, handing out pink ribbons at NFL games, and many other service projects. Zetas in Kansas and Missouri are promoting breast cancer education and awareness at Chiefs, Rams, Blues and Wizards games.

This October, show your love of ZTA by wearing your badge, handing out pink ribbons, and getting involved. Our nine founders believed that women who unite in love can make a genuine difference in the world, and we continue to make their vision a reality. That makes me proud to be a Zeta!

Reach for the Moon with Goals

With Convention behind us and summer nearly halfway over, we all have our sights set on an amazing Zeta year ahead. That's right, we are setting goals. I know that I tend to be an over-achiever and set really high goals for myself. Although I often overestimate my time and ability, I do believe in setting goals that provide a stretch. As the saying goes, "Reach for the moon; you will surely reach some stars along the way". (Okay, so that is the version that I can come up with in my head!) My point is this...I often do not achieve my goals 100%, but I am almost always satisfied with the good work that gets accomplished. With that in mind, I want to inspire all of my alumnae to set their goals high this year!!

What are my goals? I am glad that you asked! Here is a summary:

• Achieve membership growth in the district with every alumnae chapter growing by 10% over 2008
• Reorganize the Topeka, KS and Tri-State of Joplin, MO alumnae chapters with functional EC boards and 10+ members in place by January 1, 2009
• Increase alumnae attendance at KS/MO Zeta Day by 10% over 2008 attendance
• Support my alumnae chapters and set them on track to achieve Crown Chapter (and maybe Silver!) at Convention in 2010; I am striving for 100% of my chapters to achieve Crown Chapter status
• Work with the PPs to fill advisory boards for all collegiate chapters in our district

However, I believe in work/life/ZTA balance, so I also have set my own personal goals as well. I encourage you to do the same. Here are mine:

• Spend at least 20 minutes each day in prayer/meditation
• Enjoy a "date night" with my husband at least once a week
• Exercise 30 minutes for three or more days each week
• Work on hobbies like scrapbooking and sewing each month
• Finish my baby journal and document all of my baby's "firsts" before her 1st birthday

Now that you know my goals, I ask you to help me be accountable! Share your goals with me so that I can do the same. I am launching my space ship now...

New to Blogging...

I have never created a blog before, so this should be fun! I look forward to posting blogs about the amazing chapters in my district: Kansas City Metro, Lawrence KS Area, Mid-Missouri, Springfield, St. Louis, Topeka and Tri-State of Joplin, MO.