Inspire the Woman, Impact the World

    Inspire the Woman, Impact the World

So... last week in class, I too would have said that this was our mission statement, but I would have been incorrect.  Inspire the Woman, Impact the World is actually our vision. Our mission statement is..  

Alpha Gamma Delta is an international fraternity for women that exists to provide opportunities for personal development through the spirit of sisterhood.

~We support lifelong learning as a means to gain understanding and wisdom.

~We promote the value of fraternal membership and commitment to higher education.

~We help prepare members to contribute to the world's work.

~We advocate lifetime involvement in Alpha Gamma Delta.

I can, like I know all of my sisters, can recite our purpose without hesitation. But in class last week I was slightly embarrassed for my chapter and the other fraternity members in our class who couldn't think of their mission statement on the spot. But, I mean c'mon now.. ours is a mouthful! All of my sisters are familiar with our mission statement, but I personally haven't taken the time to get to know it as well as our purpose, even though it has equal importance. Both our purpose and and mission statement demonstrates the values of my sisters in Alpha Gamma Delta. Our mission statement, in a way, sums up our purpose. 

So how is my chapter congruent to our mission statement- We take our education very seriously. We support each other in our studies and really want our sisters to do the best that we can academically. I go to the library on almost a daily basis to do my work, and at least one day or two of those I go with a sister. Our VP of Scholarship reserves a room at the library for our girls to study together after chapter. And if needed we have proctored study hours to ensure we do better in school. I love how everyone gets so excited for TGs and other social events, but so many times you hear girls saying they can't because of midterms or homework, and we support each other! And by volunteering as a sorority we remain congruent to our mission statement. It is important girls attend these events and continue to help others, even when our focus may be on other things such as school. Alpha Gamma Delta at our school, in my opinion has a very diverse group of girls, and not only do we gain understanding through education, but from one another. Coming from different backgrounds I have learned so many things about life, and have been inspired by my sisters, in ways I didn't know possible. During formal recruitment last year one of my sister's mother's, who was in AGD at Bowling Green, talked to us about what it means, to her, to still be an Alpha Gam. That day, I knew I wanted to become something bigger than myself, and I too wanted to be part of Alpha Gamma Delta and experience what she was talking about. Even years after I graduate college, I need to uphold the values in our mission statement and purpose. Butttt... there are ways my sorority and myself are not always congruent with our mission. For starters, there should be better attendance at philanthropy events and sisterhoods. We need to focus more on volunteering and philanthropy events, rather than just on social events. Most of my sisters will study their butts off for quizzes and midterms, but there is always room for improvement. 

Here's a pic of some of my sisters and myself during recruitment! It's especially important during recruitment to look for girls who we feel will uphold our values of our purpose and mission statement. 

The Gathering Place

Unless you are from the Cleveland area, you've probably never heard of The Gathering Place! Well, this is an organization that I became familiar with at a young age. 
The mission of The Gathering Place is:

          "to support, educate and empower individuals and families touched by cancer through programs and services provided free of charge. "

Let me give a little background info- The Gathering Place is a nonprofit, community-based cancer support center. Since it's opening in 2000, The Gathering Place has grown in many ways and now has two locations. It is open support center that offers to the public, free of charge, great programs and services for people battling cancer and for the loved ones who support them on their journey. The Gathering Place is open to the public, regardless of your race, religion, gender, type of cancer, etc... They offer programs for cancer specific groups, adult groups, children and family, healing arts, and expressive arts. Visitors go there for multiple reasons, whether it be a weekly group about prostate cancer, or a knitting group, people go there to make their journey with cancer an easier one. It is a free of charge center, due to the communities generous donations. People can make donations by donating and participating in the Race For The Place (which I have done with my family for years), by making a donation in the memory or celebration of a loved one. The Gathering Place doesn't promote themselves through newspapers or magazines, but through the community. It has a great reputation, and I would recommend anyone who feels like need or want to check it out, to do so! The Gathering Place has so many values that they follow and promote, but their main value is simply helping others through free or charge service. They uphold theses values through their reputation as they continue to touch the lives of thousands. Below is a video I found on you-tube that shows how this place has affected a young girl-

I have lost people in my family to cancer and still have a close family member who is battling cancer (But has been in remission for a few months now, woo!) My family makes multiple donations there a year and my mom is a volunteer there. She leads a group called Look Good Feel Better. When I was younger I used to go with her while she lead this group, along with other groups, (if she had the permission of the people). I loved going with my mom and seeing how she helps people deal with such a horrifying disease. A person with cancer experiences changes in their skin and hair, that is often unexpected. With makeup and certain clothing my mom shows them ways to make themselves feel beautiful again. It's such an amazing thing to see someone thank my mom for how she's helped them during this rough time. Over the summer when I'm home, I plan on going back there more, to volunteer, and take advantage of their services for myself.

 

What are you values and what do they mean to you?

I had some trouble with posting my blogs, but here they are all at once!

For the most part, everyone lives by some set of values. They may not always be conscious of those values, but they are there. Whether they've obtained those values through their culture, religion, or just personal experiences, everyone has them. The cool thing about values is that we may share similar ones, but the way we go about expressing those values can be very different. I think that almost all of my values are based around one value in particular-FAMILY. And not just my blood-related family, but the family I have made throughout my almost 20 years of life. Honesty, loyalty, commitment, trust and even personal growth are all values that I feel stem from family. In my opinion, it is not possible to develop those values without family and close friendships.

             "Girlfriends may come and go, but mothers and daughters are forever."

Growing up, and still today, my mom tells me this. Personally, I think she used to say this just so I would tell her stuff about whats going on in my life! ha But really though, I realize now, through thick and thin, she will always be there for me. She will always be my best friend and if there is anyone in this world I can count on, it's her. Through our relationship she has taught me the true value of loyalty and trust.

I italicized the word may because like my mom, I have a few close girlfriends that I truly think will be my friends for years to come, friendships that don't just happen over night, but take years to develop. It is easy, especially on a college campus, to be friendly and outgoing, but it takes time for real relationships and trust to grow. Because I value sincerity and commitment, I found a lot of people I met my freshman year to be fake. After joining Alpha Gamma Delta and once I started opening myself up to more people, I began to feel more comfortable being away from my close friends from home and family. Comfort is a huge value of mine, but someone once told me "Life beings at the end of your comfort zone." It is easy to feel safe and secure, but a lot of times you can't grow without feeling a little out of your element!

Balance- I need need need balance in my life. Without it, I feel all out of whack. I love going on vacations, or doing spontaneous things, but i need some sort of stability in my life. I love having a routine. Even the little things I try to do proportionally. Something as silly as I try to eat a salad, or veggies if I'm going to stuff my face with fried goodness! Or work hard, play hard is a great example. Last week I was so caught up with the social aspect of school, I was falling a little behind with my work. I took a day off to just relax and catch up on my work and sleep. I like going, going, going, but I also need to just relax and chillout. Something that really helps center me and relax, that I haven't done in a while is yoga. Above is a picture of an Om sybol that I always look at during tree pose!

Who are you & how do you want to change the world?

OK... I spent over an hour and a half last night (no joke, you can ask my roommate), thinking about what to write in this silly blog! It makes me slightly uncomfortable to share with the public my personal business and thoughts. With that said, I like to get to know people on a much more personal level, one-on-one, but hey I'll give it a shot!..


Alrighty, the basics. My name is Samantha Hope Howard (hence, Sammy Hope). I am from Beachwood, Ohio and currently am a Sophomore at The Ohio State University. woo! I never intended on going to this university, I actually applied to 9 other schools, and as I was visiting Indiana University I was like, why the heck am I not looking at OSU!?!? Unfortunelty for me, I missed the deadline to apply here, butttt... my advisor informed me that the deadline for applications got extended by 2 weeks. So with two days to spare, I completed my application, and well.. here I am! I truly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. 

From kindergarten- 8th grade I went to a private school, which consisted of a whopping 23 kids in my graduating class! Then for high-school I went to small public school, that might as well been private. So.... coming to the Ohio State University was a HUGE culture shock! But in a very good and challenging way. College became just that much better when I joined Alpha Gamma Delta last winter! AGD is a home away from home for me, and really made me feel comfortable at such a large school.
 I am currently studying Psychology, minoring in Hebrew, and I hope to continue on with graduate school for Physical Therapy. But I'm pretty indecisive... so we shall see.


Family- where to beginnnnn. Both of my parents were previously married. Form those marriages I have 3 oh so wondddderful half brothers (but I consider them my whole brothers, since it was before I was born) We are 16, 17, and 19 years apart. Yauuup I'm the baby. And the only girl. My parents then got married to each other, divorced to each other, remarried to each other and then had me! :-) Then got divorced again... confusing I know.  And now my mom is remarried and I have 2 more half brothers  and a wonderful Stepfather! And all three of my brothers are married. I have 3 nephews and 1 more on the way :-) :-) :-)    I'm excited if ya can't tell!

My parents and I have a very close relationship. Especially with my mom. Her and I, as much as I don't like to admit it, are very similar in soo many ways. I like to attribute my warm-hearted, honest caring, sensitive personality to my mother. Both my parents are Jewish. They observe the high holidays and that is about the extent of it! Knowing they couldn't provide me themselves with a strong Jewish background, they sent my to a private Jewish School to explore my religion for myself. And it wasn't until recently before college I have really begun to question my religion and Jewish identity. I have been to Israel twice. I feel a connection to the land that is indescribable. Judaism to me is more than just a religion, it's an identity.

I am not the aggressive and outspoken type, I would much prefer to sit back at first and observe others and learn from them. I don't do well with change, but give me a little time and I embrace it well. I am a slow learner, but once I am determined to do something, I will not stop until I have completed it, and have completed it right. And I over analyze, ALOT! I am very intuitive to people and often concern myself with their feelings. I love meeting new people and making friends, but I really value my closer relationships. 


Now, how am I going to change the world?!?!

I would love to just snap my fingers, or press a button and there would be a cure for cancer.. or poverty would be eliminated! Life doesn't work like that. It's going to take baby steps to achieve a global change. I personally may not change the entire world, but I do know I am capable of changing the lives of a few. A few people, I can count on one hand, have affected me in ways they can't even imagine. They have positively affected me and made me a stronger and better person. If I could give back to friends or family in the wonderful ways a few have done for me, I will be a happy person.