Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. issued a charter to the Pi Psi Omega Chapter of Rockland County, formerly named the Tappan Interest Group. The chartering ceremony took place on June 20, 1987, at Images Restaurant, Blue Hill Plaza, Pearl River, New York, making Pi Psi Omega the 23rd chapter in Cluster III of the North Atlantic Region.
Pi Psi Omega celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012. Along with a slate of programs that honored its quarter-century of sisterhood and service in the Rockland County community, the Chapter hosted its 25th Anniversary on June 9, 2012.
The charter Members of Pi Psi Omega
From its inception in January 1986, the Tappan Interest Group held many of its meetings in the home of Dr. Jacqueline Holland. That same year, the Interest Group hosted its first Teen Age Pregnancy Prevention Conference at Sterling Forest, New York. One of its early fundraising activities was a “One Woman Fashion Show” featuring the late Soror Cyril Hunt. By 1988, the newly formed chapter secured a March of Dimes grant to advance its work in Teen Age Pregnancy Prevention.
Pi Psi Omega’s past programs include the Ivy AKAdemy, which served children ages seven to twelve by offering cultural enrichment, highlighting the history of notable African Americans, and teaching financial literacy skills such as banking, saving, home ownership, and investing. A Saturday reading program and the children’s ONTRACK Step Team also operated under this initiative.
Pi Psi Omega was among the first sponsors of the County Juneteenth celebration. With a $5,000 grant from the County Legislature, the chapter’s Juneteenth Committee organized the first-ever African American parade in Rockland County. In December 1999, the chapter held its first Senior Citizen Breakfast. This successful event—now known as the Senior Brunch—has become an annual tradition for the community’s elders and continues to receive enthusiastic praise. In 2011, a canned goods drive was added to the December 10 festivities.
On December 8, 2012, Pi Psi Omega received a proclamation from Spring Valley Mayor Noramie F. Jasmin, declaring it “A.K.A. Day” during the chapter’s annual Senior Holiday Brunch.
Listed among Pi Psi Omega past programs are:
In 2007, Pi Psi Omega hosted an “Entrepreneurial Tea” on April 29 at the Nanuet Mall, read and discussed Wealth Happens One Day at a Time by Brooke Stephens, and presented a forum focused on building strong foundations for Black families. The chapter also adopted two Black families with male children and continued its signature programs: Rites of Passage, Thanksgiving Food Baskets, and International Shoeboxes, which provided African children with school supplies and toys.
Pi Psi Omega continued several of its traditional programs in 2010, including its final Rites of Passage class and its annual Senior Brunch. In 2011, the chapter launched the Emerging Young Leaders (EYL) Program, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s signature initiative under its 28th International President, Carolyn House Stewart, to teach leadership skills to girls in grades six through eight. Additional programs introduced in 2011 included the AKA Recycles Resources Remarkably Workshop for Youthfest participants and a series of Home Ownership seminars. In 2012, Pi Psi Omega completed its first cycle of the EYL Program and participated in several other chapter initiatives, including the Domestic Shoebox for College Students, AKA Recycles Remarkably @ Youthfest, and the “A Day to Choose You” Health Fair.
In recent years, Pi Psi Omega has completed three full cycles of the EYL Program. As the chapter moves forward under new international leadership, it will roll out the ASCEND Program in 2015 while continuing its signature initiatives, including Thanksgiving Day Baskets and the annual Holiday Senior Brunch.
Pi Psi Omega Awards
For its programs and service to the community, Pi Psi Omega and its Sorors have received numerous awards.
Pi Psi Omega awards annual academic scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Rockland County. These funds are generated through the chapter’s annual scholarship fundraising events. The first scholarship luncheon was held in 1989, and in 1998 the event transitioned into a dinner dance. In 2010, the chapter introduced its Spring Fling as an additional scholarship fundraiser. Pi Psi Omega also hosted its Pink Magic Masquerade Balls in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
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