Philanthropy
In the early 1970s, a national survey established that Tri Delta chapters were interested in children, hospitals, and cancer. At the 1974 Tri Delta Convention the three were combined to support children's cancer charities as the designated philanthropy.
Many chapters observe "Sleighbell Day" on the first Tuesday of December, following the tradition of Sleighbell Luncheon, first held in the 1940s by 13 Southern California chapters to benefit a doctor researching blood diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
In 1999, Tri Delta partnered with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude (through the fundraising branch, ALSAC) assists Tri Delta chapters in planning philanthropy events that benefit the children and subsidize research costs at St. Jude. Many chapters coordinate fundraising activities such as pancake breakfasts and football tailgates on their campuses each year. Since 1999, Tri Delta has raised more than $16.7 million for St. Jude.
In 2002, Tri Deltas committed to raising $1 million to build a Teen Room at the St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Tri Delta fulfilled the commitment in 2005.
In July 2006, Tri Delta committed to raise $10 million in 10 years to build a new patient treatment floor focusing on brain tumor research at St. Jude. Tri Delta instead raised $10.4 million dollars in 4 years. In 2010 the philanthropic goal was changed to $15 million in 5 years, and Tri Delta raised more than $3.4 million in the first year. So far, Tri Delta has raised $5.3 million towards their $15 million goal.
In the 2011-2012 academic school year, Tri Delta nationally raised 4.2 million dollars and for their 15 in 5 pledge. So far, these ladies have raised over 8.5 million dollars. Tri Delta is already past the half way mark with 3 more years to go and have raised the most money for their philanthropic partner than any other Greek organization. Tri Delta has raised more money than any sorority or fraternity in the world and 25% out of the total amount of all philanthropy work from all Greeks combined.
In addition to the national partnership, Tri Delta continues to raise money for local Children's Cancer Charities, including the long-running Sleighbell Luncheon.
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Famous quotes containing the word philanthropy:
“Almost every man we meet requires some civility,—requires to be humored; he has some fame, some talent, some whim of religion or philanthropy in his head that is not to be questioned, and which spoils all conversation with him. But a friend is a sane man who exercises not my ingenuity, but me.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“... the hey-day of a woman’s life is on the shady side of fifty, when the vital forces heretofore expended in other ways are garnered in the brain, when their thoughts and sentiments flow out in broader channels, when philanthropy takes the place of family selfishness, and when from the depths of poverty and suffering the wail of humanity grows as pathetic to their ears as once was the cry of their own children.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)
“I shall not be forward to think him mistaken in his method who quickest succeeds to liberate the slave. I speak for the slave when I say that I prefer the philanthropy of Captain Brown to that philanthropy which neither shoots me nor liberates me.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)