The La Jolla Alumnae Chapter joined with the Zeta Mu collegiate chapter at UCSD on February 10th for a Valentine themed sisterhood event. The collegiate chapter brought some delicious heart-shaped goodies for everyone to get their sweet tooth fix. The event kicked off with a rowdy trivia challenge that tested our Sigma Kappa knowledge. Melissa's team took first place. Then our alumnae panel took rounds of questions from the Zeta Mu women. They loved hearing stories from our collegiate experiences and advice for life as an alumna. A BIG thank you to the VPAR, Melinda, for organizing the event. And thank you to all the fabulous alumnae who attended. Our strong bond with our sister collegiate chapter is proof that Sigma Kappa is for a lifetime.

The annual holiday party started with delicious desserts and a table full of unwrapped ornaments for the exchange. We quickly got to know one another once we broke into two teams mixed with alumnae and collegiate members. We began by introducing and saying something special about ourselves. We played “Phrase Party!” which allowed us to be silly and provided lots of laughter. Team 2 won, but team 1 wants a rematch next year!

During the ornament exchange many received something they liked.  There was not much stealing going on except for the twinkling star and purple elephant. However, someone did get “the big red bird” that we saw last year (if you were there, you know what I’m talking about.) Although it was short notice, many did make it to the holiday party, so thank you. Happy holiday and hope to see everyone next year!

~Nancy

This summer I found myself on the other end of an ambulance ride and sitting in the emergency room. I was all alone, with no cell phone and dealing with the effects of a medical emergency. It was one of the scariest nights of my life and the last thing I wanted was to be in the ER by myself. I could only remember two phone numbers (who memorizes phone numbers anymore?!?). The hospital called my sister, who lives 3 states away, and I sobbed into the phone. We were frantically trying to think of how she could alert someone in San Diego to my whereabouts.

After many failed ideas, I remembered the alumnae chapter contact list. My sister accessed it remotely and called the first number on the list, Melissa Caputo. It was well after midnight by then but Melissa was at the hospital in 10 minutes. She stayed with me for hours until they checked me into my room. After I was settled, she ran back to my apartment to grab my phone and some other essentials. By this time it was 4am. I finally sent her home to get some sleep for work and the job interview she had that day.

There really is no way for me to express how grateful I am for my Sigma Kappa sisters. I have known Melissa just over a year and yet she came to my rescue in the middle of the night when my own sister couldn't be there. In the days following, other alumnae chapter members checked in with me and looked out for me, like family.

Its that time of year when we start asking you to pull out your checkbooks and credit cards for your annual dues payment. Some of you might be wondering what value chapter membership holds. Sure we have social events, philanthropic service, and support the collegiate chapter but there is something to be said for the intangible value of sisterhood. That bond beyond the realms of friendship that moves someone to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night because a sister is in need. I know any one of the women on that alumnae chapter roster would have done the same thing. Those of you who may be on the fence about joining the chapter, I hope you'll give it a try for one year and see what value alumnae membership will bring to your life.  

Love,
C