The Omega Phi Alpha Foundation has provided service support to chapters with two service grants in 2022.
Alpha Lambda Chapter at North Carolina State University received a $500 service grant to help support their annual Outrace the Stigma 5k. Outrace the Stigma is an event that benefits the National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI). The funds provided to the chapter allowed them to purchase and rent supplies for race day such as banners, tables, and chairs.
The chapter has been putting this event on for many years and most recently raised over $2,000 for NAMI.
The sorority hosted a national service project to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities in Spring 2022 by encouraging members and chapters to collect pop tabs. The Ronald McDonald House Charities recycles the pop tabs and receives approximately $.50 per pound. Their pop tab program brings in a few thousand dollars for each RMHC affiliate across the country. This project is an easy way to make an impact and is something that all members can participate in.
We had a friendly competition and the chapter that had the most pop tabs per member received a $350 service grant. The chapter who received this grant was Alpha Xi Chapter at the University of Central Florida. In a full circle moment, the chapter used this grant to provide meals at their local Ronald McDonald House. With the grant, they were able to purchase groceries for over 80 meals.
Chapter President Sam Garcia shares, “With the money from the foundation we were able to help serve the community in a much larger way than our chapter ever has due to our financial limitations. RMH requires organizations to bring their own ingredients when preparing meals for the families, a stipulation we would not have been able to comply with without the funds from the OPhiA Foundation. This experience not only allowed us to serve our community in such a special way, but also gave us the financial stability to fundraise money for future projects as to not be concerned about finances as a limit to our service outreach in the future.”
Your support is vital in continuing to support the leadership programming of the national sorority. Please consider making a tax deductible contribution today.
The Foundation has a twice a year grant cycle which is now open. Chapter leaders can submit the application by clicking the link below or logging into OPAportal and viewing forms.
Examples of requests that MIGHT be funded:
- Officer transition meeting/workshop/retreat
- Leadership planning meeting/retreat
- Service project
- Educational workshop
- Leadership training
- Other event or activity that aligns with the mission of the Foundation
The application closes on February 1, 2023 and recipients will be notified on or before March 1, 2023. Recipients of grants are required to complete a report about the use of the funds they receive from the Foundation.