South Eastern Region Donates Thousands to Support Scholarships for Students
March 2, 2023 – The South Eastern Region (SER) of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Incorporated® recently announced the donation of $172,500 to support scholarships for college and university students in Alabama. The announcement was made during the organization’s 91st South Eastern Regional Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, February 23-26, 2023.
According to South Eastern Regional Director Tracey Morant Adams, the organization partnered with the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles to create the Alabama Kar-tag Action Fund to provide a mechanism for interested members to purchase customized vehicle license plates. A portion of the sales proceeds are used to fund scholarship programs.
“Through this initiative, we are providing pathways for students to soar in their academic pursuits while also planting seeds for the future,” said Adams. “We are grateful for our partnership with the Alabama Kar-tag Action Fund and for our members who purchased specialty license plates. Through these collective efforts, we are contributing to the higher education pursuits of deserving citizens.”
This year, $172,500 in scholarship funds will be distributed as follows:
- $30,000 will go to the Sweet Home Alabama Power of Us Endowment benefitting undergraduate or post-graduate Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members enrolled at higher education institutions in Alabama.
- $2500 will be donated to each of the fourteen (14) historically Black colleges and universities in Alabama.
- $5000 will go to the Tracey Morant Adams Endowed Scholarship of the Educational Advancement Foundation of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.
- Colleges and universities with active chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® will each receive $5000 for scholarship endowments.
Since the inception of the Alabama Kar-tag Action Fund, the sorority has donated approximately $450,000 to support scholarships at colleges and universities in Alabama.
Additionally, at each regional conference the sorority hosts a community service project. This year as part of its Childhood Hunger Initiative Power Pack (CHIPP™) project to eradicate hunger, the members donated thousands of nonperishable breakfast food items. As a result, more than 2,400 food packages were assembled and distributed to local nonprofit organizations such as Girls, Inc. and Boys and Girls Clubs, to provide weekend and holiday meals for children.
AKA International President and CEO Danette Anthony Reed established CHIPP™ as a key sorority initiative. She was a special guest and speaker at the 91st South Eastern Regional Conference.
During the conference, several community leaders were honored at a public meeting that featured nationally recognized news analyst and pundit Roland Martin. Additionally, award-winning gospel artist and songwriter, Kierra “Kiki” Sheard presented a crowd-pleasing concert at the HBCU Brunch that celebrated historically Black colleges and universities.
The 91st South Eastern Conference is distinguished as the organization’s most well attended conference to-date, having attracted more than 5500 registrants who participated in business meetings, workshops, and various events designed to inform, educate, and complement their membership in the 115-year-old sorority. Prior to this year, the regional conference last convened in Huntsville in 2014.
Adams announced Mobile, Alabama, will be the site of the organization’s regional conference in 2024.
About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®
Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Incorporated® is an international service organization that was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek letter organization established by and for African American college-educated women. AKA is comprised of over 300,000 members in 1,061 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Liberia, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Japan, Canada, South Africa, and the Middle East.
About South Eastern Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®
The South Eastern Region (SER) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is one of 10 regions. SER is composed of three states: Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Within the region, there are approximately 116 undergraduate and graduate chapters serving over 14,000 members. Annually, the members perform service projects to enhance and improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.