Region VI Day (Michigan and Canada) – November 6, 2010

The women of Xi Eta chapter at Northwood University served as gracious hosts for the 2010 Region Day on Saturday, November 6, 2010.  Over 20 alumnae gathered with hundreds of collegians on the beautiful campus in Midland, Michigan.

Andrea Henderson, Region VI Regional Collegiate Director (RCD), and Lindsey Bonner, Michigan State Alumnae Chairman, began the day with a welcome to our Delta Zeta sisters.  Next up, we heard from the Presidents of the nine active chapters in Region VI, with their very informative “State of the Chapter” addresses. The ladies did a wonderful job summarizing the many outstanding activities of their chapters over the past year. Andrea and Denise Brenner, Great Lakes Area Alumnae Director (AAD), were next to share their “State of the Region” and “State of the Area” addresses, respectively. We then dispersed across campus for an afternoon of exciting and informative workshop sessions.

After our workshops and lunch, we heard from our keynote speaker, Cathy Painter, National Vice President of Collegians. Cathy shared her very timely and inspiring message with the collegians, reflecting upon her own days as an active member, and how they contributed to the leader she is today. She described how our Delta Zeta experiences that are often perceived to be the most difficult are the ones that teach us the most about ourselves and provide the greatest learning opportunities.  In Cathy’s case, she was heartbroken when one of her best friends decided to challenge her and won in the election for Chapter President.  As a result, she began to pull away from Delta Zeta and her chapter sisters. The job proved too much for this individual, however, and midway through the term, the chapter asked Cathy to step in as President.  Even as alumnae, I think we can all recall how stressful and overwhelming the nomination and election process is when we are active members.  But in the long-run, the experience is nothing more than a small piece in the larger puzzle that represents our overall Delta Zeta membership. Cathy reminded us that we should never give up when it comes to our Delta Zeta involvement, because we never know what’s in store for us down the road. 

Also joining us for the day was special guest Justin Osmond, a representative of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Justin shared some inspiring videos and informed all of us about the ways Delta Zeta’s contributions are making a difference for hearing impaired children around the world. We then moved on to the Founders’ Day, Senior Ceremony, and Golden Rose Ceremonies. We recognized two alumnae Golden Roses, Donna Dolinski and Tommy Gilpin, our longtime Lambda Theta Collegiate Chapter Director (CCD). It was then time for the most exciting portion of the day, alumnae and collegiate awards. A full list of alumnae awards can be found below.

After all of the hardware was distributed, we ended the day by announcing the traditional ticket auction winners. Andrea concluded the gathering by announcing that the women of Gamma Pi chapter at Western Michigan University would be hosting us in 2011 – hope to see you this November in Kalamazoo!

2010 Region VI Day Alumnae Awards

Enduring Flame Awards:
Grand Rapids - Karen Miron

Highest visiting chapter attendance:
Grand Rapids Alumnae Chapter

Supreme excellence in philanthropy:
Metro Detroit Alumnae Chapter ($2,328 and 120 hours)

Highest contributions to Delta Zeta Foundation:
Lansing/East Lansing Alumnae Chapter ($250)

Pamela McClure Cronenwett Loyalty Award - Kristen Shymanovitz Trudeau, Epsilon Sigma Chapter

Outstanding Alumnae Chapter Award - Metro Detroit Alumnae Chapter

Delta Zeta Sorority

National Website