Chapter Spotlight – Iota Theta (Wilfrid Laurier)
On February 2, 2014 four of my Iota Theta (Wilfrid Laurier) sisters and I took a road trip from Waterloo, Ontario to London, Ontario Canada to attend the Theta Eta (Western Ontario) chapter’s 3rd Annual Red Dress Gala!
The Setting
The venue was completely transformed for the event with red décor, information boards on Alpha Phi International and the Foundation, and each table setting was even finished off with red dress hand decorated cookies! The outcome was a cozy setting where guests could mingle with one another in between guest speakers and a live musical performance.
We enjoyed a late brunch, raised money for Alpha Phi Foundation through a silent auction and met fellow Canadian Alpha Phi sisters. Having the opportunity to make connections with sisters from another chapter so close to our own was such a rewarding experience. Our Vice President of Marketing Celina got to meet the VPM from Theta Eta, Lora and they had the chance to bounce ideas off each other and soon became fast friends.
Chapter to Chapter Red Dress Experience
Our chapter also hosts an annual Red Dress Gala which is an evening event with a fancy dinner – we will be hosting our 6th event next fall. I plan to run for VPM in next year’s elections so Red Dress Gala is something I will be helping out with a lot this year. It was great to experience how Theta Eta puts a twist on the event, and to gain some new ideas! I really enjoyed the special touches the chapter put together for event attendees which included individual red dress and Alpha Phi lettered cookies. They also had a photo booth with props which I think would be a lot of fun to incorporate into our own event in the future.
I was also impressed that the chapter made the effort to invite us to attend their event. This increased the turnout and ultimately the support for Alpha Phi Foundation. I’m sure the women of Theta Eta would be interested in experiencing our evening event to get more ideas to take back to their chapter.
Supporting Sisters
All in all, I loved the opportunity to meet more sisters – especially Canadian sisters who are so close to our school – so that we can build connections to support one another, especially in our philanthropy events! Even though many of us had just met that afternoon, we had an instant connection. It was definitely a moment in my Alpha Phi journey I will always treasure.
I encourage all Alpha Phi sisters to seek opportunities like this one, to visit a neighboring chapter and support them in a large event such as Red Dress Gala or Move Your Phi’t. If you can, assist them with their next philanthropic initiative – two hands are better than one – or even just stop in for a visit to introduce yourselves. You can never have too many connections or too many knowledgeable and likeminded women to share ideas with in order to better your own chapter.
Thank you again to the sisters of Theta Eta for inviting us. I look forward to visiting you again soon and congratulations on hosting such a successful Red Dress Gala event!