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The waiting game.

Posted by Anna Kate Saturday, July 9, 2011 0 comments

Now, for the next 10 or so days, I begin the countdown – anxiously crossing off days in my Lilly planner getting closer to July 19th.  We got the official word from the boss this week that we would be moving in on that Tuesday.  Hooray!  And move we will, to Alpha Delta Pi Memorial Headquarters off Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, GA where the incoming Leadership Consultants will train for 3 ½ weeks at Executive Office.
Alpha Delta Pi Memorial Headquarters
Since I only live in South Georgia my parents will be driving me up that day, but I thought the responses from my Consultant Sisters about our arrival was much more interesting . . .
“Did anyone else think it was weird to get a one-way ticket?
I’ve never gotten a one-way ticket before!”

It’s still hard for all of us to believe that when we begin packing for the big move, that we really are packing for good – literally months on the road.  And your guess at where we might be going is as good as ours at this point!  We will receive our travel schedules for the month of August at the end of July.  Just thinking about it makes me anxious!  I am so excited to begin serving my sorority as a Leadership Consultant and it still seems too good to be true.  And just when I thought things couldn’t get any better after I got the job, I met my Consultant Sisters at realized it could.  Can’t wait to reunite with these girls in less than two weeks!

2011-2012 Alpha Delta Pi Leadership Consultants
From the left:
Brett Patterson – Eta Upsilon, Wake Forest University
Ashley Trefney – Zeta Upsilon, Oakland University
Haley Maynard – Gamma Kappa, West Virginia Wesleyan University
Sarah Steele Banks – Epsilon Pi, GA Southern & Beta Nu, University of Georgia
Anna Kate Sumler (That's me!) – Zeta Iota, Georgia College & State University
Andrea Farnan – Alpha Pi, The George Washington University
Cristina Perez – Zeta Alpha, California State University Fullerton

 

Diamonds in the Desert Part III

Posted by Anna Kate Thursday, July 7, 2011 4 comments

This is the final Convention post, I promise!

Friday – The majority of the day was spent at the final Business Meeting where Grand Council elections took place.  Check out the members of Alpha Delta Pi 2011-2013 Grand Council here.  Congratulations, sisters!  Looking forward to the amazing things these women will contribute to our great organization.
Friday night was the Alumnae Dinner with a “Bring Your Bling” theme.  This was a really fun night for everyone!  Things got started with a Gift Mart fashion show that all of the incoming LCs participated in.  We sang the traditional Convention Song after dinner to see which “Old Timer” has attended the most conventions.
Solid hug train in front of the new Gift Mart decals.
Saturday – First thing was Initiation followed by a Ritual Review Workshop.  This was an experience unlike any other.  Ritual really is what sets us apart from any other organization and what binds us together as sisters.  There were lots of goose bumps this year as we witnessed one of our founder’s great-great-granddaughters become an alumnae initiate – something I’ll never forget.
I’ll be honest, I had never heard the name Chris Blackburn or of Campus Speak before.  So when I noticed his name on the program and that he would be leading a “Response Ability” Workshop, I didn’t think much of it.  It turns out that this was another unforgettable experience.  The program said that Chris would “share a message to believe in yourself and to have enough self-confidence and healthy self-esteem that you are willing to stand up for what you know to be right” and he did that plus much more.  He left the Alpha Delta Pi Convention body with a very powerful question –
“Are you going to be the sister that your founders wanted you to be?”
LCs showing some Pi love to the man himself, Chris Blackburn.
Immediately following was the Panhellenic Luncheon.  It kicked off with the processional of flags representing the 26 NPC groups and closed beautifully by keynote speaker, Peter Smithhisler, President and CEO of the North-American Interfraternity Conference.
There were a variety of workshops that afternoon.  First I went to “Advisor Training – Beyond the Basics” for a different perspective on chapter operations, then chose “True Colors and Effective Communication”.  If you attended DLC this year or Adelphean Compass, then you will remember learning about “True Colors” and how we approach things based on personality type.  This expanded on that and focused on common mistakes we make when communicating with other colors.  Both sessions were great!
Showing off Zeta Iota's new Excellence Award!
Saturday night was the big finale at the Diamonds Awards Banquet.  Here the highest awards are presented, new Grand Council is installed, and the evening concludes with the Candlelight Roll Call where tiny pen lights slowly light the room as members from each chapter stand as their chapter name is called.  In closing of Convention is the Recessional to the lawn outside where we gathered in a circle and sang ADPi songs.  This was truly a heartwarming moment being surrounded by so many sisters and realizing that this is what it’s all about.

Sunday – Grand Convention came and went in the blink of an eye!  I was not ready to say goodbye to my Consultant Sisters.  We met with the outgoing consultants and our boss for one last breakfast together.  We were especially looking forward to finding out who our Violet Sisters were!  (A Violet Sister is an outgoing consultant paired with an incoming consultant to serve as a mentor of sorts.)  I cannot tell you how surprised and THRILLED I was to open my letter and see that it had been signed by Mary Kathryn Dykes!  A little background – Mary Kathryn visited my chapter last year on her first visit.  She really inspired all of us and she reaffirmed all of my hopes of applying to become a Consultant.  Having her as my Violet could not be more perfect.  In my letter she also gave me the LC dangle for my badge – a small, silver suitcase.  Adorable, right?  Best Violet Sister combo ever.
Violet Sisters.
Now the countdown to Atlanta begins!  T-minus 12 days until we move into Alpha Delta Pi Memorial Headquarters and begin training at Executive Office.  Can't wait!

 

Diamonds in the Desert Part II

Posted by Anna Kate Wednesday, July 6, 2011 0 comments

The saga continues . . .

Thursday – Woke up bright and early this morning and put on our all white garb (down to the shoes) and assembled for the traditional Adelphean Processional.  Here’s an explanation of the Adelphean Processional, courtesy of our website:


“This processional, which was instituted at the 1941 Grand Convention, recreates the original parade of Adelpheans [our founders] through the halls of Wesleyan [where we were founded] with everyone in white dresses and blue satin ribands bearing the motto, ‘We Live for Each Other’, as they process into the Formal Opening Session of the convention.”

Other traditions that take place include the traditional Parade of Chapter Flags that are carried in order by their charter date, singing of the national anthems of the United States and of Canada, reading from Sisters, introduction of International Officers, and presentation of individual award recipients.

When we met with Grand Council before dinner on Wednesday night, I asked them what their favorite part of Convention was and many of them said the Adelphean Processional.  After experiencing it for myself, I can easily see why.  The Adelphean Processional was probably my favorite Convention tradition and it was really amazing to see how our organization has grown.  It makes me even more excited for the two Alpha Delta Pi colonies we will have this year and how they will add to our organization.
First attempt at the hug train.
Following the Convention photograph and Memorial Service, we headed over to the ballroom for the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation Luncheon.  The keynote speaker for this was the very special Lindy Lutz Cash.  I did a more lengthy post about the message she shared with us on the ADPi Convention Blog that you can read here.
I also sat with my first Province Director today, which was a great experience.  Throughout the week, all of the incoming Leadership Consultants had scheduled lunch and dinner dates with different Province Directors.  I was a little nervous about this at first, but I absolutely loved all of the sisters that I had the pleasure of getting to know.  It turned out to be one of my favorite experiences of Convention week!

After lunch was the first official Business Meeting of the week where members began to discuss and vote on proposed bylaws and resolutions.  Following this were District Caucuses, but since this doesn’t really apply to us we had a follow-up training session with the amazing Beth Wright and Jana Clayton – RFM (Release Figure Method) Specialists.  We had a lot of lingering questions and some confusion after our first meeting with them, but they were so patient with us and this second meeting really cleared a lot of things up.  Thank you, sisters!

Thursday night was the Diamond 4-Point Dinner where we had an amazing speaker – Joe McDonough from the B+ Foundation along with his daughter, Ali McDonough, an ADPi sister from Theta Delta chapter.  If you have never heard of this organization before, I strongly encourage you to check it out.  The message of the B+ Foundation brought me to tears that night and I look forward to the possibility of working with chapters who partner with them this year.
Last but not least on Thursday night was the “So, You Want to be a Leadership Consultant?” session.  You can read all about that on the post I did for the ADPi Convention Blog here.
Improving the hug train one picture at a time.
I didn’t anticipate Thursday’s activities to be so long, oops!  Diamonds in the Desert Part III coming soon with a wrap up of Grand Convention.

 

Diamonds in the Desert Part I

Posted by Anna Kate Friday, July 1, 2011 0 comments

After weeks of counting down, June 21st finally rolled around and I headed to the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix, AZ for the 160th Anniversary Convention of Alpha Delta Pi.  This week marked the first time I would be introduced as a 2011-2012 Leadership Consultant, and most importantly, the first time I would meet my Consultant Sisters face to face after months of emails and anticipation.

Recap of the first two days:

Tuesday – Arrived a little after lunchtime, checked in and found out that Andrea Farnan would be my roommate (yay Northern twin!) and discovered a man’s luggage in our room.  Needless to say, the hotel fixed that little mistake and took our luggage to the correct room while we had lunch downstairs with our boss and the rest of our Consultant Sisters.
We had amazing training sessions on Tuesday.  We met with Lindy Lutz Cash, a phenomenal sister, on general appearance/presentation.  Later on, RFM (Release Figure Method) Specialists Beth Wright and Jana Clayton met with us to discuss recruitment statistics and ICS Recruiter.
Tuesday night we attended the International Officer Appreciation Dinner.  I did a more lengthy post about that on the ADPi Convention Blog that you can check out here.
After dinner we had a quick meeting with Housing Resources Director, Nancy Mannon, to discuss all things House Corporation.  We especially loved hearing about her daughter and how she just loved those “Apple PIs!”
Lots of information for one day, but all well worth it!

First group picture with our new boss!

Wednesday – First official day of Grand Convention for all attendees, but we got a little sneak peek of the International Officer side by attending the Pre-Convention program.  We also got our pictures taken for The Adelphean on this day by the amazing photographer Charles Walton – very loved by Alpha Delts.
We had an absolutely wonderful training session with former International President, Beth Gentry Mannle.  We got to know a lot about one another during this training session – down to our “true color” and personality type.  The information we discussed in this session is supposedly what helps determine where we will be traveling this year – so exciting!
Before we headed to the Welcome Banquet, we were invited to Grand Council’s suite for a little “get to know you” time before walking to dinner together.  It was so amazing to meet all of these women and hear the outstanding things they have done for our organization.  We attended the Welcome Banquet followed by the reveal of More Sisters – 324 pages celebrating Alpha Delta Pi’s 160th Anniversary.  The icing on the cake?  An autograph party afterwards by former and present Grand Council members!
To finish up Wednesday night, we had a special training session with representatives from the GIN System.  Luckily we were all on the same page and wanted to wrap things up quickly.  Thanks to Ethan, Katrina and Chad for letting us get some much needed sleep!

Pre-Convention Volunteer Training Program

Stay tuned for Diamonds in the Desert Part II with details from the rest of Grand Convention!

 

We're in high cotton now.

Posted by Anna Kate Wednesday, June 29, 2011 1 comments

I cannot express how much pure joy it gives me to tell you that I have been selected as a 2011-12 Leadership Consultant for Alpha Delta Pi Sorority.  In case you’re wondering what this is exactly, here is a description courtesy of the Alpha Delta Pi website –

“Leadership Consultants are representatives of the sorority who work with collegiate chapters throughout the academic year in areas such as officer training, recruitment, and leadership. At the same time, Leadership Consultants are cultivating valuable professional skills that will continue to serve them after their year of travel.”

During one of my interviews for this position I was asked why I thought this job was relevant.  I responded by saying that one person can make a difference.  The Leadership Consultants that we were fortunate enough to host at my collegiate chapter have made lasting impressions on our members and their impacts will benefit our chapter for many years to come.

Educating collegiate women on the foundations of our sorority in order to help them empower themselves and motivate others is what sparks the light within me.  It is my fervent hope that I will be able to change someone’s life the way women such as Allie Pisching and Mary Kathryn Dykes have changed mine.

This job is absolutely a dream come true for me.  Thank you to everyone who helped, encouraged, and prayed for me along the way.  I could have only hoped months ago that a small town girl from a chapter in middle Georgia would be chosen to represent my international organization – which is over 140 collegiate chapters strong in the United States and Canada.  Wow!  What an honor.

Looking forward to the year ahead with my wonderful Consultant Sisters!

 

These colors don't run.

Posted by Anna Kate Monday, May 30, 2011 0 comments

As I was sitting in church yesterday and we sang the familiar lines, “Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, for those in peril on the sea!”  I started thinking a lot about Memorial Day and its history.


Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.  There are many stories as to its actually beginning, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.  It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established.  This holiday is not about division; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.  It was made an official national holiday by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1873.

So what is being done today to honor our troops and how are you taking part?

This summer at Alpha Delta Pi’s 160th Grand Convention, participants will contribute to a Philanthropy Project called “Packages from Home,” which is an Arizona based group founded in 2004 whose mission is to send care and comfort packages to deployed American military heroes who are stationed in active duty theatres around the world, as well as to facilitate activities that elevate the morale for all veterans.

At Grand Convention, Alpha Delta Pi sisters will bring items to donate from an approved list.  These items will be shipped to the troops following Convention along with notes and cards to the troops that we’ll write that week.  We will also have a district competition to collect coin and cash to facilitate the shipping of our donations.  If you would like to give to “Packages from Home” please visit their website by clicking here.

Happy Memorial Day, y’all!  God bless our troops!

 

Our lifetimes were made for these years.

Posted by Anna Kate Sunday, May 22, 2011 2 comments

Truthfully, I have been avoiding blogging lately because I knew
the next appropriate post would be . . .

THE GRADUATION POST.

Although the actual commencement ceremony took place over two weeks ago,
blogging about it somehow makes it seem even more tangible than it did then.

I haven’t been as emotional about graduation as I thought I would be.
I think I’m still waiting for reality to truly sink in.  However, moving out of my
sorority house next week may finally turn on the waterworks.

When did four years go by?  When did I become so old?

While I was writing my Senior Will for my sorority’s Senior Night,
it made me stop and think about these past four years –
how much I had learned, changed, and grown as a person.

The most valuable thing I gained during these four years was, hands down,
membership in my sorority.  Looking back to fall 2007, I could never have imagined that I would become the person I am today.  Credit is definitely due to Alpha Delta Pi and the lifelong bonds of friendship that I have made within the sorority.

Four years ago I could never have imagined that I would learn how to plan
a successful campaign, give back in so many different ways through philanthropic efforts, learn communication skills (hello, recruitment!) that would help me in every future professional endeavor, and develop leadership skills that have truly transformed that young, freshman girl into the poised college graduate that I am today.

The list of things that this organization has both given me and enabled me to accomplish could truly go on and on.  So here’s to you, Alpha Delta Pi.  You have taught me how true the words of our Creed really do ring, day in and day out.


“I believe that my sorority is more than a ritual or a symbol;
 that it is a way of life.”

 

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