We are proud to announce the 2022-2023 Area of Service Award Winners. Service is the foundation of Omega Phi Alpha and all that we do. We always look forward to hearing about the different service projects our chapters are doing and how they are impacting the world around them. We love seeing how members take broad areas of service and plan projects that their members are passionate about. Thank you to everyone who submitted an awards application, and congratulations to this year’s winners:
University Community
The Area of Service Award winner for University Community is Alpha Pi for their project “Substance Use Awareness Week.”
They had 83% member participation in this project. Alpha Pi shared with us that West Virginia is the leading state in opioid usage and overdoses in the country, so many members have some sort of personal connection to this epidemic. The service directors and committee members worked together to develop a week’s worth of events for the university community to learn and benefit from. The week-long events included tabling where members provided different resources to the university community, a recovery ally training to help yourself or someone else going through recovery, a luminaria ceremony with various speakers and an open forum, and a Narcan training. Alpha Pi also had a day where they encouraged their campus community to wear red as that is the color for substance abuse awareness month. They were also able to team up with the Fentanyl Task Force on their campus as they had events occurring simultaneously. Alpha Pi members said that the planning and coordinating for the week took a lot of hard work, but they are very happy with how it all went.
We are so proud of Alpha Pi and the impact they made on their campus with this event!
Community at Large
The Area of Service Award winner for Community at Large is Alpha Kappa for their project “Dog Toys for Humane Society.”
They had 85% membership participation for this project. Alpha Kappa chose this project as a way to provide meaningful service to the local community while also giving their chapter members an opportunity to bond and to showcase Omega Phi Alpha’s values to potential new members during recruitment. During this service project recruitment event, each member was able to make 2-4 dog toys. They worked together to make each toy and were also learning how to sew and tie various knots. Alpha Kappa shared that the toys they created were designed to be durable and interactive, providing enrichment and mental stimulation for the dogs at the shelter. Alpha Kappa members were able to donate a large number of handmade dog toys to the Humane Society. Through this project the members were able to make a difference in their local community and create stronger relationships with one another.
Good job Alpha Kappa!
Members of the Sorority
The Area of Service Award winner for Members of the Sorority is Alpha Kappa for their project “Bare Minimum Training.”
This project had 90% member participation. Alpha Kappa shared with us that the “Bare Minimum Training” was a presentation put on by the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Kansas. The chapter utilized this project for their members of the sorority area of service as a way to expand their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics and to equip their members with the necessary tools to engage in deeper conversations around these issues. The training covered a range of topics, including social identities, the isms, equity vs equality vs justice, and more. This provided Alpha Kappa members the opportunity to gain valuable tools to engage in more complex discussions around social justice, equity, and inclusivity. Alpha Kappa said that, “This project helped to strengthen our commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable community at the University of Kansas and within our own chapter.”
We are proud that Alpha Kappa chose to uphold Omega Phi Alpha’s pillar of diversity and inclusion in their members of the sorority project this year.
Nations of the World
The Area of Service Award winner for Nations of the World is Alpha Omicron for their project “Days for Girls Sewathon.”
They had over 50 members participate in this project. Alpha Omicron shared that the purpose of this project was to create reusable pads. Days for Girls is an organization that strives to provide girls and women in less fortunate areas with reusable period products. For this project, Alpha Omicron teamed up with another sorority, Phi Sigma Rho, on their campus. Alpha Omicron members came together to trace cloth in the shape of pads, cut out shapes, sew the material together, and assemble the finished kits. This project allowed for Alpha Omicron to connect with others on their campus to work towards a shared goal. Alpha Omicron said, “The outcome was successful, and our chapter was able to help Phi Sigma Rho create many period kits that Days for Girls will send to countries where period products are not easily accessible.” Amazing job Alpha Omicron on your Nations of the World project.
Thank you, Alpha Omicron, for helping others and making a difference!
Permanent Project – Mental Health
The Area of Service Award winner for Mental Health is Alpha Pi for their project “Take a Note, Leave a Note.”
They had 98% of their membership participate in this project. Alpha Pi shared that the goal of this project was to encourage the spread of kindness, positivity, and mental health awareness and resources around West Virginia University to help better lives and share valuable information and resources. The chapter formed a committee specific for this project to work on organization, collecting supplies, and find the best way to make a large impact while still having lots of participation through hands-on service. Members came together to write kind messages and information about mental health resources on sticky notes, which were added to 4 different trifolds for the “Take a Note” portion of the project. Members then tabled on campus with their trifolds encouraging people to take what they need and then to “Leave a Note” for someone else. Alpha Pi shared that a lot of people on their campus participated in the project and expressed their gratitude for it’s mission, stating that it helped them as they went on about their day. The project was so successful that when Alpha Pi shared the details with their university’s mental health resource center, they expressed great interest in acquiring some of the boards for their office’s waiting room for clients to use, then talking about creating a permanent bulletin board outside their waiting room that the chapter would help them with. Alpha Pi shows that even small actions can make a big difference! The chapter shared that they look forward to doing this project or one like it, in the future.
We are so proud of Alpha Pi and how you were able to help others through this project!
President’s Project – Protecting Human Rights
The Area of Service Award winner for Protecting Human Rights is Alpha Kappa for their project “Fighting Food Insecurity at Indigenous Community Garden.”
The chapter had 86% member participation in this project. For this project, the Alpha Kappa worked with the Lawrence Indigenous Community Center in their community garden. Members worked in the community garden to promote Indigenous land stewardship practices and food sovereignty. The community garden is designed to promote autonomy, access to healthy foods, and Indigenous land stewardship practices, which are critical components of food sovereignty. This movement addresses food insecurity, which disproportionately affects indigenous populations. Alpha Kappa chapter members helped by planting 12 pear and apple trees in the community garden. Alpha Kappa shared that, “Working in the community garden allowed us to learn about Indigenous land stewardship practices, the importance of food sovereignty, and the ways in which we can contribute to building more just and equitable food systems.”
We’re so glad Alpha Kappa was able to positively contribute to the community garden and see first hand the impact on their local indigenous community. Thank you for taking part in an impactful President’s Project!
Congratulations again to Alpha Pi, Alpha Kappa, and Alpha Omicron on your award-winning service projects! We are excited and can’t wait to see all of the different service projects our chapters will participate in this upcoming academic year.