Two Chapters. One Delta. One Mission.

By Tracy Pugh, Member, Columbia (MD) Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

The Columbia (MD) Alumnae (CAC) and North Arundel County Alumnae (NACAC) chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., joined as one sisterhood on Aug. 22 with one purpose: to ensure that students across Howard and Anne Arundel counties start the school year ready to succeed.

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Nearly 100 Deltas — about 50 from each chapter — filled The HALL at Live! in Hanover for a high-energy, assembly-line service project fittingly themed "Two Chapters. One Delta. One Mission." Working shoulder to shoulder at four coordinated stations — staging, core supplies, personal touches, and quality control — sisters who may have only known each other's chapter names became collaborators, cheering each other on as the assembly line hit its 100th, 200th, and 500th backpack filled with supplies.

Many Deltas wrote and packed encouraging handwritten notes into every bag. This small touch turned a school-supply giveaway into a personal message of belief for every child who opens their backpack.

By the end of the morning, the two chapters, led by Eugenia D. Woodson (CAC) and Lorrie Armfield (NACAC), had assembled and distributed 500 school-ready backpacks to Guilford and Elkridge Elementary Schools, Columbia Community Care in Howard County, and Meade Heights and Freetown Elementary Schools in Anne Arundel County — along with $100 Dollar General gift cards for each recipient organization.

The project's reach extended well beyond the two chapters. Ubiquitous Women's Expo Founder Germaine Leftridge, a member of the Columbia (MD) Alumnae Chapter, opened her event as the project's home and connected with Dollar General's corporate representative to commit support. A room full of community leaders, including Maryland State Senator Shaneka Henson, Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball, and Howard County Executive-Elect Vanessa Atterbeary expressed their gratitude for our community initiative. Their presence, alongside school and community representatives, underscored what the day was really about: Delta women doing the work for students and families.

Moreover, the day was a model of what's possible when chapters collaborate. Volunteer turnout exceeded advance registration, corporate and civic partners multiplied the chapters' reach, and sorors left having built new relationships across chapter boundaries.

"Two Chapters. One Delta. One Mission." was a resounding success that led to hundreds of students walking into their first day of school a little more prepared and supported because Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., showed up for them.