The 104th National Convention of Delta Theta Tau Sorority was held July 11-15, 2012. Rise Buzzard, Alpha Delta, Huntington, Indiana, served as Convention Coordinator for the “Fiesta On The River Walk” held at the Hilton Palacio Del Rio, San Antonio, Texas.
National President, Cathy Stanford, Omicron Alpha, Woodlawn, Illinois, presided at the business meetings during the convention. Delegates from 79 chapters were represented. Attending from the Alpha Rho Chapter, Chesterton, Indiana, were Debbie Gustafson and Jeannine Larimer.
A combined total from all chapters donated to philanthropic projects during the past year amounted to $714,363.09. The members supported their communities with a total of 189,770 volunteer hours during the past year.
Of philanthropic interest to members is the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias and encouraging professionals in the area of Guidance and Counseling. Delta Theta Tau’s Educational Grant program enables students to continue their studies in the graduate field of Guidance and Counseling. The 2012 delegates allotted $15,000 for Educational Grants and $5,000 for Ectodermal Dysplasias, and $4,967.03 for the Military Outreach Ministry (MOM) and Operation Quiet Comfort to be split equally.
Awards were given to chapters with the highest total amount of money spent on philanthropy, and also for the chapters with the most volunteer hours. Receiving the award for the highest amount of money spent for philanthropy was Tau Chapter of Valparaiso, Indiana. Receiving the award for most hours spent for philanthropy was Gamma Upsilon Chapter of West Frankfort, Illinois. Social activities enjoyed by members included the “Kick Up Your Spurs” Mixer, “Con Bellos Deltas” Informal, and the “River Walk Moonlight Masquerade” Banquet.
Delegates elected Karen Allen of the Alpha Omicron Chapter in Terre Haute, Indiana, to serve as the new National President. Karen chose as her focus for her year at the helm of the organization, “The greatest gift you can give someone else is your time.” Delegates also voted to hold the 2014 Convention in Vancouver, Washington.
Delta Theta Tau, a National Philanthropic Sorority, was founded in 1903 in Muncie, Indiana, by five high school girls. The first National Convention was held in 1908 in Elwood, Indiana. The 105th National Convention will be held July 10-14, 2013, at the Whispering Woods Conference Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Terri Shannon, Nu Alpha, Oxford, Ohio, will be the Convention Coordinator.