A vision of sisterhood

Stork's Nest is a 40-year-old partnership between Zeta Phi Beta and March of Dimes. Stork's Nest is a community-based, prenatal, health promotion program for low-income pregnant women. The program is designed to promote prenatal care participation and healthy behaviors during pregnancy through two components-incentives and education. Stork's Nest clients "earn" points toward incentives, such as maternity or baby care items, through a variety of positive, health-promoting activities; attending prenatal care appointments, participating in prenatal education classes, keeping appointments for well-baby visits,, etc. Thousands of women are serviced at Stork's Nest all over the country every year.

Zeta Prematurity Awareness Program (ZPAP) occurs annually during the entire month of November in support of World Prematurity Day on November 17th and the March of Dimes. Since 2003, Zeta chapters and auxiliaries reach out to over 300 houses of worship annually across the country and distribute information on prematurity awareness, causes of prematurity and the importance of seeking prenatal care in an effort to decrease infant mortality and the number of low birth weight babies. In 2014, over 100,000 people were reached through the Sorority's grassroots campaign.

Adopt-A-School allows members of Zeta Phi Beta to identify low performing schools and provide assistance in a number of ways to enhance the educational experience, increase test scores and grades. Members purchase supplies and/or equipment, provide volunteer hours, assist with parent engagement programs and work with administrators to identify needs that may be specific to that particular school.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15, kicks off our campaign to distribute information in our communities on identifying signs of elder abuse and where victims can go for assistance. According to Ageless Alliance, 1 out of 10 older adults are victims of abuse. Members throughout the country place informational table tents in restaurants, businesses, churches and libraries all over the country.

International Women of Color is one of five components of Z-HOPE. The programming benefits include support for those with AIDS and those caring for AIDS victims, literacy programs, building water wells, donating rice and much more. We have built more than 52 water wells throughout Ghana. We have recently launched a Well Maintenance program to ensure that our wells are consistently functioning and providing potable water to the villages. We also built a clinic at the Afua Kobi Apem Senior School for girls in Ghana. Enrollment at the school went from 1,200 to 2,000 after opening the clinic. Villagers can also visit the health center and often do. The clinic has dramatically improved the health of the girls and their families.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer -While triple negative breast cancer can be found in any ethnicity, breast cancers found in African American women are more likely to be triple negative. This form of breast cancer is more aggressive and often labeled more difficult to treat. It has also been found to occur disproportionately in young African American women. Zeta chapters have begun adding information about triple negative breast cancer to existing projects and programs on breast cancer to build awareness and support efforts of health care professionals and organizations recommending earlier breast health testing.

Get Engaged, a Z-HOPE initiativedesigned to address the underlying issues that are contributing to the senseless killing of African Americans. Get Engaged provides Zeta chapters with a strategic framework to foster citizen engagement and strengthen relationships among the community, elected officials, law enforcement and educators. The initiativewill be implemented in collaboration with the NAACP as a series of quarterly Z-HOPE programs focused on justice, media diversity, public policy and civic engagement.

On Jan. 16, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. celebrated the vision our Founders – Arizona Cleaver Stemons, Pearl Anna Neal, Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Viola Tyler Goings and Fannie Pettie Watts – created for Zeta on the campus of Howard University in 1920.

Born out of the belief that “sorority elitism should not overshadow the real mission for progressive organizations," Zeta sought to address "societal ills, prejudices, poverty, and health concerns of the day."

Ninety-six years later, our Founders’ vision of a true sisterhood that welcomed diversity and celebrated scholastic achievement for the good of the African-American community is at the heart of what we do. Because of their dedication and compassion for others, Zeta has become a women’s service organization with real community impact.

Zeta members worldwide provide multigenerational service through our Elder Care, Anti-Bullying and Adopt-A-School initiatives that reach tens of thousands annually.

We have donated record amounts to the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society and Women Veteran’s ROCK.

Our historic memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows us to broaden the exposure of urban youth to STEM education.

Our Z-HOPE (Zetas Helping Other People Excel) service projects and GET ENGAGED social action programs mobilize our members to make a difference.

Never tireless in our efforts, Zeta is community-conscious and action-oriented.

On behalf of 120,000 Zeta women, thank you, AJC Sepia staff (with Zeta Love to AJC community editor and Zeta member, Arlinda Broady) for the opportunity to share our story of Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood and Finer womanhood with your readers.

We invite you to learn more about our sisterhood at www.zphib1920.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.