ALPHA CHAPTER INITIATIVES
Alpha Chapter also hosts smaller events to benefit organizations in our community. We have sold Hot Cocoa Grams and organized bake sales and clothing drives. One local organization we assist is the Riverside Church, a group that organizes resources for the unhoused in Morningside Heights such as haircuts, clothing, and food. We also raise funds for our mutual aid program.
AWARENESS.
World Arthritis Day is October 12th and Junior Arthritis Day (JA Day) is March 18th. On these days we focus on spreading awareness by tabling in Lerner and collaborating with the NYC branch of the Arthritis Foundation. Nationwide, AOIIs have become known as the “Panda People” for our “Panda Drives” in which we raise funds to buy stuffed panda bears and gift them to juvenile arthritis centers in New York. The Panda is AOII’s official mascot because it has no natural enemies!
SERVICE.
Olivia Erhardt (CC ‘18) was a beloved sister who joined Alpha Omicron Pi in the Spring of 2015. A freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio, Olivia showed early interest in the chapter and the sisters that she met. After her freshman year, she interned at Cincinnati's Children's Hospital doing research.
Olivia tragically passed on a Global Brigades trip to Honduras devoted to providing medical assistance for people who couldn't afford it otherwise. The goal of the annual Olivia's Day is to commemorate her interests and carry them forward. She touched the lives of so many, and we want to make sure her memory lives on.
In the past, we have held bake sales supporting the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and made valentines cards for the patients. There is also a memorial fund in Olivia’s honor at her high school.
SISTERHOOD.
At alpha chapter, we cherish our time with one another. We are devastated when personal financial circumstances cause a member’s time in our chapter to be cut short. The mutual aid is a way for members to anonymously support one another in times of hardship.
Each semester, we collaborate with the Panda Express in Morningside heights to run a fundraising campaign. Twenty percent of all sales made with our AOII code go to support our local philanthropy efforts. Come eat with us!
FELLOWSHIP.
LAUGHTER.
Typically on 3/14 we celebrate pi day with some form of pie in the face. The format has varied, but it always ends in lots of whip cream and laughs. Proceeds go to a charity/organization of the senior’s choice.