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Day of Giving Raises $96,000

At the end of October, more than 700 Phi Mu members and friends joined together to celebrate sisterhood and support Sisters Helping Sisters by contributing more than $96,000 to Phi Mu Foundation during 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving! The day of giving campaign continues to be an annual fan-favorite with sisters sharing memories and special moments on social media to honor how much giving back to Phi Mu means to them.

Thank you to our Challenge Champions and Leadership Circle members who anchored our fundraising efforts and helped lead us to a successful day!

Challenge Champions

Robin White Fanning; Mary Young; Andie Kash; Denise McDermott; Danita Morgan; June Byrd; Robin Benoit; Vicki Ryan; Jen Wu; Shannon Weaver; Kris Bridges; Diane Eggert; Jen Free; Cheryl Young; Beverly McCarthy; Betsy Newman; and Jean Morgan.

Leadership Circle

Amber Shaw; Andrea Kash; Barbara Stephanus; Beth Monnin; Betsy Newman; Beverly McCarthy; Cathy Sessums; Cheryl Young; Cindy Goldman; Claudia Nemir; Connie Abell; Cynthia Bland; Cynthia Lowden; Danita Morgan; Debby Baker; Delicia Arnold; Diane Eggert; Gail Highland; Haley Branch; Heather McClellan; Janeen Judah; Jean Morgan; Jen Free; Jen Wu; Jessica L. Hall Barbee; June Byrd; Kelly Straight; Kendall Johnson; Kris Bridges; Lara Tebelius; Leigh Strong; Lisa Fleming; Lucinda Stangl; Margaret Blackstock; Margo Grace; Mary Margaret Nester; Nicole DeStefano; Nicole Gamble; Patricia LaPorte; Robin Fanning; Sandra Carney; Shannon Weaver; Sharon Staley; Susi Kiefer and Vicki Ryan.

If you’d like to check out all of the challenges that were met and the rolling honor roll of every donor who supported the day of giving, visit https://phimudayofgiving.crowdchange.net.

Meet Heart and Hand Fund Recipient Kaitlyn Gallegos

Emily and I have been friends since Bid Day 2010. I know we have our first photo together somewhere – we ended up right next to each other cheering in a huge crowd of girls who accepted Phi Mu bids that day. Even as alumnae, we talk nearly every single day – sometimes about TV and pop culture, sometimes about community events we’re working on or sharing articles on current events. In the aftermath of being impacted by Hurricane Laura, Emily was one of the first people I knew I could count on to help. A lifelong resident of New Orleans who rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, Emily is no stranger to navigating the post-disaster recovery process.

Because I evacuated to Ruston, Louisiana – where the storm still came through as a Category 1 – I had no internet and very little cell phone service in the first 24 hours after the storm. Without hesitating, Emily began posting on social media and contacting our mutual friends to let everyone know that, while my home didn’t make it, I was okay.

Not long after this, one of the Alpha Lambda Chapter advisers, Marisol Yumet O’Neal, shared in our alumnae group that alumnae are eligible for emergency grant funds through Phi Mu Foundation. Emily immediately volunteered to get the application process started for me, and she and Marisol worked together to make sure they had all of the information needed to submit on my behalf.

Receiving a member assistance grant from Phi Mu Foundation made an enormous difference in how quickly I was able to get back on my feet. While I did have insurance, anyone who has had to go through a claims process knows that these things take time. Phi Mu Foundation came through quickly with much-needed support, support that I would not have been able to access without fellow alumnae helping me along the way.

In addition to Marisol and Emily helping with the grant process, sisters from all over the country sent an outpouring of support, including Amber Ball, a resident of Houston, TX, who was able to coordinate supply donations and deliver them to the area.

Thank you, Phi Mu Foundation!

Kaitlyn Gallegos is an alumna of the Alpha Lambda Chapter at Louisiana Tech University and a recipient of a Leona Hughes Hughes Heart and Hand Fund member assistance grant.

Give Back to Phi Mu!

Join us on Tuesday, October 27 as we celebrate Phi Mu sisterhood and invite members to support Sisters Helping Sisters with a gift of $18.52 or more during our annual day of giving, 18 Hours & 52 Minutes of Giving!

Whether it’s providing an academic scholarship to a first-generation college student, awarding an emergency grant to a woman who is facing life-altering circumstances at home, or helping fund the Fraternity’s cutting-edge leadership and educational programs for chapter leaders, your contribution to Phi Mu Foundation will make a difference in the lives of Phi Mu women across the country.

Share your support on social media and tag us @PhiMuFoundation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Meet Trustee Vicki Ryan, Zeta Pi

During this summer’s virtual Foundation Business Session, three new members joined the Foundation Board of Trustees and we’re excited for you to get to know them better. Wrapping up our #TrusteeTuesday series to showcase these fantastic leaders is Trustee Vicki Ryan!

There are many incredible organizations that are worthy of your time and talents. Why is it important to you to serve on the Phi Mu Foundation Board of Trustees?

I’m very grateful to Phi Mu and the Foundation for its hand in my education with a graduate counselor scholarship and for early leadership opportunities to serve in Fraternity and Foundation Board offices.  I want to support the Foundation’s grant work to fund leadership programs and women speakers that teach Phi Mus about building self-confidence and developing the courage to speak up in work settings.  We need more women at the table, making decisions in career fields and it’s critical to develop the leadership skills that empower women to express their voices.

What is your favorite Phi Mu Foundation fundraising campaign and why?

The annual Day of Giving or as I like to think of it ’18 Hours and 52 Minutes’ of fun!  It’s so interesting to see the different Challenge Gifts that are created.   Tuesday, October 27th will be the fourth year for this program and the Challenge Gifts get more creative each year.  I like that the program targets one day with lots of advanced communication for us to get ready, then fun social media reminders during the event, followed by the successful results of the day which are known immediately!

 

On top of many Phi Mu accomplishments, each of you has also experienced remarkable professional success. Tell us more about your career and how experiences from Phi Mu and your professional life have overlapped.

As a Chapter President and Greek leader on my university campus, I learned how to plan projects, motivate others, manage budgets, interact with university officials, and have a voice.  Every one of those experiences was put to use as I grew my career in marketing and product management in a large technology corporation.  In particular, forming connections with Phi Mus and building friendships with a variety of people were the groundwork for learning how to network and build partnerships in the working world.

 

Picture this: you’re on the TV show Shark Tank and have the opportunity to pitch the millionaire panel for 30 seconds on why they should invest in Phi Mu Foundation. What do you say?

If you are not yet contributing to a nonprofit Foundation that empowers the women in your life you are missing the boat.  If you are looking for a well-established philanthropy that supports your sister or daughter or granddaughter to learn lifelong leadership skills, you should look no further.  Through Foundation grants to Phi Mu Fraternity, the women in your life will become educated for the real world about what it takes to be a leader and even have a chance to experience those opportunities at an early age.  And those lessons become the first step towards successful careers!

What do you hope will be the headline for the Foundation’s progress for 2020-21?

Phi Mu Foundation Breaks a Record for the Number of New Donors to our Giving Programs!