On March 15, 1997, a small group of Alpha Kappa Alpha women met to form the beginnings of an interest group to develop a chapter in the Edwardsville, Illinois community. The hostess for that meeting and those that followed, the woman whose vision and persistence led to the development of this chapter, was Soror Nola Jones. Under the presidency of Soror Davina Pulliam, these sorors named their club Sisters with Pearls. It was the genesis of the first graduate chapter of a Greek letter organization of primarily African American membership in Madison County, Illinois. On Saturday, January 31, 1998, at Mount Joy Baptist Church, Edwardsville, Illinois, Upsilon Phi Omega Chapter was chartered under the leadership of Central Regional Director Soror Peggy Lewis-LeCompte, during the tenure of our Supreme Basileus Soror Eva Evans. Following the charter ceremony the following officers were installed: Patricia Penelton, Basileus; Gail Mosley, Anti-Basileus; Adele Carpenter, Grammateus; Yvonne Jordan, Pecunious Grammateus; Sheila Hamilton, Tamiouchos; LaTongia Hayes, Epistoleus; and Davina Pulliam, Ivy Leaf Reporter.
At the gala that followed, the seventeen charter members greeted Madison County and the Greater St. Louis metropolitan community. History was made that day.
At the chartering program, greetings came from many dignitaries, including 17th Central Regional Director Soror Johnetta Randolph Haley, Edwardsville’s mayor, our district’s state representatives, the governor, the local NAACP president, and representatives of the cluster’s alumnae chapters (Gamma Omega, Delta Delta Omega, Omicron Eta Omega and Omicron Theta Omega), and representatives of other Pan- Hellenic alumnae chapters in the St. Louis area. The new chapter made certain its presence was known by presenting thousands of dollars of gifts to the Edwardsville NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Educational Advancement Fund, Lincoln School Alumni Association (the historically black elementary school in the city), undergraduate chapter Epsilon Iota, and a newly established fund for human service awards, named after Soror Marla Rene Dickerson, Ivy Beyond the Wall. The program was followed by an elegant reception where charter members joined family, friends and other VIPs. On this occasion, the first Basileus of Upsilon Phi Omega Chapter, Soror Patricia Penelton, launched an energetic local program to meet the national sorority’s initiatives.
During the chapter’s relatively short tenure, the women of Upsilon Phi Omega have made a significant impact on their community, as well as the national focuses of the sorority. To earn the monies to support that programming, the chapter holds the Annual Scholarship Dance, usually a formal affair scheduled near the Christmas holidays; annual sales of Great Boars of Fire Barbecue, eagerly awaited just before Memorial Day by our supporters; and a new enterprise, Twilight in the Vineyard, an elegant, widely successful wine tasting event. A more recent and very successful event is the chapter’s annual Hattitude Luncheon, held in collaboration with one of the area’s most respected and oldest community colleges, Lewis and Clark Community College, located in Godfrey, Illinois.
With these funds, the chapter has sponsored educational programs for children of different age groups. Magical Morning, an annual affair since 2002, is a springtime event for preschool and early elementary school age children, featuring performers, games, gifts and snacks. Read Across America is celebrated each year when sorors go into day care and elementary school classrooms to read to children and when the chapter makes gifts of books to schools and libraries. Summer picnics have been held for the area’s black families at which the chapter gave away school supplies and gifts, and each year school supplies are donated to the local pantry for the start of the academic year. Each year since its chartering, the chapter has presented two to three scholarships to graduates of our county’s high schools.
In 2002, the chapter also hosted the St. Louis Metropolitan Chapters’ Joint Founders’ Day Celebration in Collinsville, IL. In the summer of 2005, a new program, Tomorrow’s Pearls, was launched. For this first club of thirteen- to sixteen-year-old girls, seminars were held that focused on etiquette, their self-worth, and their educational and economic potential. Emerging Young Leaders (EYL), a program for middle school girls, was created in the summer of 2012; the thrust of this program allows girls to experience and participate in personal development and community service activities.
Making the community aware of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s legacy of civic responsibility, Upsilon Phi Omega maintains a high profile in the area. Since 2004, the chapter has made monthly visits to volunteer at an area nursing home, specifically selected because it is the longtime home of one of our sorors and past community leaders, Dr. Willie Pyke.
In October of each year, the Buckle-Up for Safety Campaign is coupled with a Food and Coat Drive, netting one of the largest collections for our local food pantry. Successful educational presentations have included two economic seminars—one on investments and financial planning and a second one entitled “Financing and Re-financing Your Home.” The chapter also has sponsored Dress for Success collections, and participated in the March of Dimes Walk, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Relay for Life Walk, the Lupus Foundation Walk and sponsored a Red Cross Blood Drive.
The chapter maintains an active presence in special programs that are specific to its local community: the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville International Street Fair, the NAACP Welcome Back Program for students, and the YMCA & Edwardsville High School Building Funds, netting an Upsilon Phi Omega Chapter/ Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority commemorative brick in the courtyards of these institutions. Each year, as part of the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Black History Month festivities, the chapter is invited and serves as hostesses for the art exhibit reception.
An enormously successful local program which Upsilon Phi Omega co-sponsors, along with local chapters of AAUW, is G.E.M.S., Girls Explore, Experience, and Experiment in Math and Science. Since 1998, the chapter has been part of this educational program for girls in grades six, seven, and eight. Our involvement has meant rapidly increasing access to African American participants and the inclusion of women-of-color as presenters, professionals in the focus fields.
From its inception, Upsilon Phi Omega Chapter has continued to make history in Madison County, Illinois. As we make our presence widely known, we introduce many in our community to the long-established history of Pan-Hellenic organizations and educate them, though demonstration, about Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s historic record of dedication to service.