CHICAGO—More than 9,200 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) members will converge on Chicago for their national Leadership Seminar July 12-16, 2023. AKA is one of America’s oldest service organizations founded by college-educated African American women. Under the theme “Pathways to SOAR: Expanding Your Leadership Potential,” the conference will develop and enhance lifelong leadership skills for members ranging from college students, professionals, and retirees.
AKA boasts an expected 1 million dollars in spending power in the Chicagoland area through travel and tourism. Under the leadership of International President and CEO Danette Anthony Reed, attendees will engage in four days of intensive leadership training and development. In addition to engaging workshops, forums, certifications, and specialized trainings, members will enjoy Chicago’s world-class dining, shopping, and cultural arts offerings. Service is at the heart of AKA’s mission. Several service projects will take place during the conference.
On Friday, July 14, 2023, the packing will be underway for 10,000 Chicago Public School students who will benefit from the Chicagoland Hunger Initiative Power Pack (CHIPP™), which provides weekend and holiday meals for children within local communities. Local school principals will pick up CHIPP food kits for CPS students and families experiencing food instability.
Saturday, July 15, 2023, AKA will also assemble and distribute “Love and Hug” bags which contain resources for new mothers, including diapers, changing pads, and baby wipes. The resources will go to Roseland Community Hospital and Family Focus in Chicago.
The conference will conclude with a Sisterhood Brunch on Sunday, July 16. All members will wear pink to celebrate their unity as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® women.
Chicago has been home to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s headquarters since 1949 and has played a vital role in the sorority’s 115-year history. It is also home of members Lorraine Richardson Green, the organization’s second International President and first black woman to receive a master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago, as well as the Honorable Julianna Stratton, who is the first black woman to serve as the Lt. Governor of the state of Illinois. All the service projects, training, workshops, and forums are designed to help members enhance their impact in the 1,1000 communities where the sorority operates.
Coinciding with the timing of AKA’s Leadership Seminar, the organization will celebrate the grand opening of its For Members Only (FMO) Federal Credit Union. FMO is the first Black-owned, woman-led, sorority-based digital banking financial institution in the history of the United States. A ribbon cutting will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, at the AKA Corporate Headquarters, 5656 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago.
Note: All activities, times, and dates are subject to change.
ABOUT ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INCORPORATED
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) is an international service organization founded on the Howard University campus in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha comprises nearly 300,000 members in more than 1,000 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Liberia, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, and the Middle East. Led by International President and CEO Danette Anthony Reed, Alpha Kappa Alpha, is often hailed as America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African American women. For more information on Alpha Kappa Alpha and its programs, visit www.aka1908.com .
ABOUT NAVY PIER
Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is the top nonprofit tourism destination in the Midwest, stretching more than six city blocks and typically welcoming nearly 9 million annual guests. Originally opened in 1916 as a shipping and recreation facility, this Chicago landmark showcases more than 50 acres of parks, restaurants, attractions, retail shops, sightseeing and dining cruise boats, exposition facilities and more. The Pier celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016 with the unveiling of the iconic Centennial Wheel, Polk Bros Park, Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion and Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion. In 2021, Navy Pier continued to usher in its second century with ongoing Pier-wide redevelopment efforts—including Sable, a 223-room Hilton hotel, new restaurants and partnerships, and thrilling additions to Pier Park. The Pier is also proud to continue providing free, year-round arts and cultural programming designed to inspire, educate and connect communities across the city and globe. Click here to donate to Navy Pier, a mission-driven 501(c)(3) organization, in support of the organization’s post-pandemic revival and free public programming. For more information, visit www.navypier.org.
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