Philanthropy

 

• In December of 1999, Founding Mother Sheila Krishan traveled to India and visited various ashrams (shelters) in which young children resided. The purpose of that visit was to seek out specific ashrams in which there was a great need for clothing and other necessities so the Mothers could make a meaningful donation. While there, she encountered many people from very young children to women who have committed their lives to helping these children and working in these ashrams. The head of one particular ashram was a nun who had the frailest of statures and the gentlest of natures. As she told Sheila each of the children’s stories, Sheila’s heart would break a little bit at the unfairness in life. Sheila learned from the nun that many of the children were abandoned by their families because it would be one less mouth to feed; others were abandoned simply due to their gender. When the nun had finished recounting many heartbreaking stories, Sheila had turned to her and said that she and her friends would do what they could to help, but it wouldn’t be much. They were only a few hands in an organization with a limited budget. When the nun heard this she replied, “The entire ocean is but a contribution of several single drops of water.” Meaning that each hand that helps is something better than none at all. When Sheila returned to school and retold her experiences, the Mothers realized what they wanted their philanthropy to be.

 

• To date, Delta Kappa Delta has donated over $25,000 to organizations that promote the education, well-being and safety of children around the world. Many of these organizations do not receive governmental funding or assistance and would not survive without donations. We feel very humbled in knowing that we can assist these organizations to the best of our abilities.Because our philanthropy is very dear to us, the sisters of Delta Kappa Delta choose to take this effort one step further by completely engaging themselves in the cause. Our commitment to child abuse awareness and prevention does not stop at monetary donations. Rather, our commitment to our philanthropy is displayed in our dedication to educating adults and children about the different types of physical, mental, and emotional abuse that a child can endure. Every day, more than three children die of child abuse or neglect . That is over a thousand unnecessary deaths per year. We realize that we cannot change such devastating occurrences overnight; however, we believe that every ounce of time and effort given to child abuse prevention organizations, both national and local, will help at least one child. For this reason alone, the Sisters work hard to spread the awareness and prevention of child abuse. This is fulfilled not only by donating money to shelters that those in need of guidance, and refuge – but also as a means of physically providing a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen. The Sisters regularly visit these shelters, in the United States and abroad to give the women and children something to smile about.During our Recruitment events, we educate interested young ladies about the signs and symptoms of child abuse and what we can do to help those who may be in need of help. During April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Sisters nationwide host C.H.I.L.D. (Changing Hope Into a Lasting Difference) Week, with activities that highlight the importance of this issue. The Sisters hand out blue ribbons to promote awareness, hold forums to educate the community and many fund-raising events. The Sisters of Delta Kappa Delta Sorority hold this philanthropy very dear to our hearts. Children are our future; to harm them is to harm our existence.