Salad Days! #WhyAlphaChiWednesday

Celebrating the arrival of summer at our annual Salad Days event in May turned into a joyful ritual moment when we recognized our 25-year, 50-year, and 60-year members! Thanks to our president Amy for always being prepared to honor our sisters. Salad Days is usually our largest event of the year, and we are thankful for the attendance of the Real.Strong.Women who live their AXO values, Wisdom.Devotion.Achievement.

Amy, president, conducting the ceremony (L-R, Julie, Barbara, Lynda, Karen)

Britain pinning Annette with the 50-year pin

Britain pinning Maxine with the 60-year pin (to the right, Alyssa, Jocelyn, Amberly, Tara)

Britain pinning Motney with the 60-year member pin

Our 25-year, 50-year, and 60-year
L-R Julie (Beta Lambda), Lynda (Beta Gamma), Karen (Beta Eta), Maxine (Beta Eta), Annette (Beta Eta), Arlene (Gamma Chi), Barbara (Gamma Iota), Amy (Zeta Upsilon), and Motney (Beta Eta),  

And! Amy sent our photo to The Lyre!

Highlighting Real. Strong. Women. for 2016

What a way to start our year:  Thinking about our 75-year member, Ms. Mary Budd Holmes

Celebrating Mary Budd's 90th Birthday! with Epsilon Tau Epsilon members from Tallahassee and Thomasville:
Linda (Gamma Epsilon), Barbara (Beta Eta), Mary Budd (Beta Eta), Amy (Zeta Upsilon, ETE President), Jenn (Theta Lambda, ETE Treasurer)

Mary Budd's Initiation Certificate and her badge:  Both items now reside at Beta Eta chapter in Tallahassee. Mary Budd donated the items to the chapter, and the advisory board made a shadow box with them for the chapter's formal living room. 

Happy Founders' Day #AXO - 130 years of Real.Strong.Women. #TBT

We enjoyed spending Founders' Day with the Beta Eta collegians! It was a packed dining room. We loved meeting lots of the collegians and welcoming alumnae with their families this year.

 

Mike, Leo, Malena (Beta Omicron & President of Tally Alumnae Panhellenic), Amy (Zeta Upsilon & ETE President)

 

Barrett, Colleen (Beta Eta), Brantley, Sean

Tyler, Aimee (Beta Eta), Mia, PeeJay

Special table for collegians and alumnae who are cheerleaders and gymnasts! (front middle - Em (Iota Psi); back middle left - Jocelyn (Gamma Iota); back middle right with lovely #lyre badge (Alyssa (Gamma Iota))

 

Always being serenaded by nice fraternity guys on Founders' Day (it's SO fun!)

Hall of Commitment Fall 2013 - #Alumnae love

We enjoyed sharing our ritual with the Beta Eta seniors graduating in December. These sisters are such super smarties:  Lex - law school; Jenna - nursing; Kelly - UF medical school; Lindsey (neurobiology PhD). And look at those adorable Alpha Chi and Omega stockings (and letters!)

Thank you Linda (Gamma Epsilon, OK State), Amy (Zeta Upsilon, Case Western Reserve University) and Jenn (Theta Upsilon, Clemson) for welcoming our new alumnae!

Painting with a Twist Recap - #TBT

We had such a good time before recruitment started in August 2012 at Painting with a Twist!
In honor of our Founders' Day on October 15th, we celebrate ETE's sisterhood with this recap.

With alumnae from five collegiate chapters represented, we enjoyed snacks, drinks, cupcakes and the society of our sisters while we stretched our creative and artistic muscles!

In true Alpha Chi Omega form - we chose to paint peacocks in honor of Hera!

Kristen's masterpiece!

Kappa Xi (UWF) alumnae Danielle and Meagan

The amazing chapter advisor for Beta Eta (FSU) and author of Simply Southern Girl blog

Our president (Amy Z - Zeta Upsilon) has many talents!

We Love Alpha Chi Consultants #AXO

What do our consultants do? ...

They befriend, they counsel, they comfort, they crack the whip (JK), they enlighten, they evaluate, they model our Real.Strong.Women., #RSW, brand and exhibit Wisdom.Devotion.Achievement., #WDA, in their daily living.

Each collegiate chapter receives at least one consultant visit each school year. Sometimes chapters get nervous when a consultant visits, but really they should get EXCITED. Chapters who excel to the Olive level embrace their consultants, seek their advice and make them 'one of the chapter'.

and if they're lucky consultants and visit Tallahassee, they get to dine with our fun, local alumnae! Arianna (from Baltimore and Kappa Xi initiate) visited us in 2013.

Amy Z (Zeta Upsilon and president); Jenn (Theta Lambda and treasurer); Kristen (Gamma Iota/Beta Eta); Meagan  (Kappa Xi); Britain (Beta Eta); Magie (Pi) and Arianna (Kappa Xi) in front!

Arianna sharing our Backstops and reminding Beta Etas to put our VALUES first!

And we are SO LUCKY to report Arianna will be attending graduate school at FSU! Epsilon Tau Epsilon will get to enjoy her for two more years! We could not be more thrilled!

Stubbs Education Foundation for Music Scholarships

It's time for another "Party with a Purpose!"

What better to celebrate Fine Arts then with sisters as we support other sisters and musical talent?!

Stubbs' Educational Foundation, Inc. provides Music and Academic Scholarships
to students in the Tallahassee area.

Buy your ticket now and enjoy all the fun:

here we are last year - YES, we did have that much fun! Back Row (all Brother of Hermes members):  Marc, Chris, Chris Front Row:  Jenn (Theta Lambda), Britain (Beta Eta), Joy (Gamma Iota), Amy (Zeta Upsilon), Magie (Pi) and Tara (Beta Eta)

And here were are from year's past:
http://axoete.blogspot.com/2012/04/stubbs-educational-foundation-ss.html

http://axofloridastate.blogspot.com/2012/02/stubbs-educational-foundation-mardi.html

COCA - Art in the Airport with AXO

You never know where you will find an Alpha Chi Omega!

Our president Amy Z (Zeta Upsilon) and treasurer JSBH (Theta Lambda) were traveling back to Tallahassee from the fabulous 2012 Alpha Chi Omega Convention in St. Louis with three Beta Eta collegians when they discovered Amanda (Alpha Upsilon) setting up a new exhibition in the Tallahassee ArtPort!

Annie Harris, local artist in residence at the Tallahassee Airport - reception is Friday, July 20, 2012

How many times have you walked past the ArtPort art gallery at the Tallahassee airport and wondered about it? We had many of our questions answered Tuesday. Amanda helps bring the fine arts to our community through her job at COCA (Council on Culture & Arts) including curating the exhibitions at ArtPort!

ArtPort exhibits feature local (within 100 miles of Tallahassee) artists. All works shown are available for purchase by contacting the artist. As the article above shows, the exhibition opens this week with a reception at the airport Friday, July 27th from 6pm - 7:30pm, and highlights the work of local artist Annie Harris.

"Annie S. Harris's paintings are an homage to what is good and strong in all of us. She has a deep respect for people, from all walks of life, and their unique ability to rise above adversity."

Her work will be on display from July 18th - September 10th, 2012 at ArtPort. You can also visit ASH Gallery, 438 West Georgia Street from 9am - 4pm on Saturdays to see more of her artwork.

Welcoming FSU AXO Graduating Seniors as New AXO Alumnae!

Sunday, April 22nd, we hosted Hall of Commitment for the graduating seniors at the FSU chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. We're so proud of these young women, and amazed by how quickly four years can pass. 

gifts for the seniors 

 our newest alumnae!

carnations for the ceremony

 cookies to enjoy after the ceremony

Thank you to our alumnae, representing four collegiate chapters, who performed the ceremony!

And our second ceremony, Thursday, April 26th:

Another Successful Salad Days: Welcoming Summer

You will see below, JSBH is NOT a professional photographer, but at least she documents our fun :-) Thank you to our president Amy Z who hosts the yearly event.

We enjoyed a fantastic variety and number of alumnae at our 7th Annual Salad Days and Fruity Drinks fun evening.

Alumnae who graduated last month and 48+ years ago joined us - how fantastic and amazing that we shared the Bond of Sisterhood across the years - good food and drinks will do that. Sisters from nine chapters attended: Pi - Berkeley, Upsilon - Millikin, Beta Eta - FSU, Beta Gamma - LSU, Gamma Epsilon - OK State, Gamma Iota - UF, Zeta Upsilon - CWRU, Theta Lambda - Clemson and Iota Psi - Elon.

from the right going clockwise - Maxine, Britain, Chelsie, Rachael,
Linda, Lynda, Amy D, Amy K, Magie, Tara, Amy Z, Annette



from the left going clockwise:  Maxine, Lauren, Amy C, Ashley H, Danielle, Britain, Rachael, Linda, Lynda, Amy D, Amy K

Amy C (Beta Eta), Amy D (Upsilon), Barbara C (Gamma Iota),
Chelsie (Iota Psi) and Linda H (Gamma Epsilon)



We celebrated our newest alumna's birthday (note the princess crown)

We forgot to photograph the appetizers, drinks:  homemade sangria and watermelon lemonade and desserts:  blueberry + lemon curd pound cake, cream-cheese brownies and The Cake Shop cupcakes, but we did snap a picture of the salads (fruit, tossed, bean, pasta - you name it - all yummy!) We had plenty of leftovers to take to sick sisters who couldn't attend, boyfriends, husbands and roommates!

We can't wait for next year!

Alumnae Panhellenic Scholarship Luncheon Recap

Saturday, February 11th we enjoyed an afternoon of sisterhood at the Alumnae Panhellenic Scholarship Luncheon at Auction at the FSU Kappa Alpha Theta house.

one of our two tables of sisters (Aaryn - front right - is a sister from Kappa Xi chapter at UWF!)

more sisters at the luncheon

Inspirational speaker this year was DeeDee Rasmussen, Kappa Alpha Theta, Chair of the Leon County School Board

 Jenn and Amy reporting on how Alpha Chi Omega used the 2011 Philanthropic Grant to benefit our local domestic violence shelter, Refuge House (learn more about our project here)

Jenn presenting the 2012 Philanthropic Grant to Kappa Alpha Theta.

Libby, center, won a 2012 Eugenia F. Kenshalo Scholarship! Jenn, right, gave a wonderful introduction of Libby that began "She is the kind of member every sorority wants." Kathy Dilworth, left, was named Alumnae Panhellenic Woman of the Year, a well deserved honor!

 These 8 FSU Panhellenic collegians were honored for their academic achievements. All have grade points above 3.7! Libby, far left, and Stacia, fourth from right, are both Alpha Chi Omegas.

This is the beautiful Panhellenic Scholar pin the 8 collegians above received. 

The luncheon is also a fundraiser with a silent auction and a live one. Thank you to our sisters who donated items, including Barbara, Margaret, Amy, Betty and Jennifer. Auction items: 

The Kappa Alpha Theta House Director and collegians were lovely and gracious hostesses for the event. We appreciate their hospitality and loved seeing their beautiful home. 

Salad Days Success!

A big thank you to our wonderful sisters who came out Monday evening and contributed to help make our bath and bedding drive for Refuge House a success! A special thanks to our guest, Diane Jefferson, Development Director of Refuge House, who made us all feel like we are truly making a difference for the women and children Refuge House serves. 

Sisters from seven Alpha Chi collegiate chapters with Diane Jefferson of Refuge House. 

Standing (l to r): Diane Jefferson, Lynda (Beta Gamma, Louisiana State), Margaret (Beta Sigma, Univ of Georgia), Amy (Zeta Upsilon, Case Western Reserve Univ), Kristen (Gamma Iota, Univ of Florida and Beta Eta, Florida State), Chelsie (Iota Psi, Elon Univ); seated (l to r): Aimee (Beta Eta, Florida State), Britain (Beta Eta, Florida State) and Jennifer (Theta Lambda, Clemson) 

The big stack of towels, twin sheet sets and pillows we collected for Refuge House!

Sisters with the donations

All of us helping Diane load the donations in her car - luckily she had big enough vehicle to hold everything! 

Thanks to Alumnae Panhellenic of Tallahassee for awarding us their Philanthropic Grant, the proceeds of which went toward these donations. Thanks also to cash donations from our members (as well as from  Beta Eta alumna Danielle and Zeta Upsilon alumna Amy from the Tweet-up they held for Refuge House) we had a cash donation for RH for $150 to go along with all the linens. 

In addition to helping a great cause, we enjoyed a lovely evening (inside, unfortunately, due to the overly warm weather) and delicious dinner with the variety of salads everyone brought along. It was a wonderful evening enjoying the society of our sisters!