FROM THE DESK OF The Editor -In - Chief

As the last flakes (we hope) of snow fall on the Great Lakes, we turn our attention to the renewal that comes with spring. It’s amazing what a few rays of sunshine can do for the spirits!

This issue of The Great Lakes Gazette is focused on philanthropy or purposeful giving. As Alpha Kappa Alpha women, our first acts of purposeful giving began in 1908.

Our founders purposefully planned for the betterment of our people as they crafted the plan for the first black sorority. They pooled their pennies to donate food to the less fortunate. They brought culture to a university setting that did not previously exist. They used their organizational skills and talents to establish a framework that was used in establishing the other sororities in the Divine 9. They were the role models for our philanthropy.

Every chapter and soror in the Great Lakes Region purposefully gives when they contribute to the success of The Great Lakes Gazette. It is the willingness to share best practices and accolades across the region that keeps our engine running. Each article is like a bud in spring…..purposefully thoughtful, purposefully written, purposefully entertaining, purposefully given.

Thank you. Enjoy!

Gwendolyn D. Bush