March 2014 Pearl

the Pearl March 2014

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Inside 02 First presidents’ Academy a success

03 Undergrads get opportunity of a lifetime

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Donor Repurposes Estate Gift Summit Renamed for Bruce J. Loewenberg

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anuary was a first for us—we named one of our flagship programs after a donor. The Summit is now The Bruce J. Loewenberg Summit! For those of you not fully acquainted with Bruce, read on for the full official press release.

Bruce J. Loewenberg, a 1958 initiate of the Beta Beta chapter from the University of Missouri has provided one million dollars of his personal trust to partially endow the Delta Sigma Phi Summit leadership program.

“Sometimes, the honor of renaming a program is based on service, not donations. In this case, it’s both. Bruce has dedicated nearly half a lifetime to the Fraternity,” Foundation President Mike Hoffman said. “He has been committed to Delta Sigma Phi from day one, and naming The Summit in his honor is one of the best ways to show our appreciation to Bruce for his service and philanthropy.”

“Delta Sigma Phi has always been about Building Better Men,” Loewenberg said. “The Fraternity built me into a better man, and I feel like this is the best way for me to repay the debt and help the Foundation and Fraternity continue developing leaders. Leadership is really the most important piece of Delta Sigma Phi, and by allocating funding to The Summit, we will continue to improve our mission of Building Better Men.” Like Loewenberg, Executive Director Patrick Jessee values Delta Sigma Phi’s mission to Build Better Men.

“We feel very strongly about the importance of education and are committed to providing access to services such as The Summit to brothers who are trying to better themselves,” Jessee said.

“The naming of The Bruce J. Loewenberg Summit clearly marks a new milestone of partnership and commitment to Building Better Men.” To find a comparable antecedent in terms of the potential impact of this gift for the Foundation, we undoubtedly have to look back to the generous gift made by Tom and Cyndy Cycyota in July 2013. The couple pledged to fund the Delta Sigma Phi Leadership Institute for the next 10 years.

“Delta Sig literally changed my life. As the National President of our great Fraternity, Cyndy and I wanted to set an example for others to follow. We feel really great about this gift and the impact it will make,” Cycyota said.

“Like it did me, the Fraternity had a huge impact on Bruce.”

Loewenberg has been extremely involved in our Fraternity since he joined. He’s served two terms on the Grand Council, as well as four terms as a Foundation Board Trustee. He spearheaded the creation of The Summit prior to its inauguration in 2008. Since then, The Summit has developed into one of the top programs Delta Sigma Phi offers.

Our goal is nothing less than moving Delta Sigma Phi to the pinnacle. We are deeply moved

by Bruce’s vision and passion for this important work. His gift will provide substantial, essential funding stability as this program evolves. I hope that his gift will stimulate others to make contributions.

Your Gifts at Work: Celebrating the Inaugural Presidents’ Academy T hanks to you, Delta Sigma Phi hosted our first Presidents’ Academy in February. Over 90 attendees benefitted as a result of donor generosity. The firstof-its-kind program was a huge hit with undergrads and fraternity volunteers. But let me tell you what the program meant to some of the students who attended.

“I most definitely think that Delta Sigma Phi should continue to offer the Presidents’ Academy in the future,” Bence Tamas, Case Western ’13, said.

“As chapter leaders, it’s a great experience to network with other chapters and really learn that we’re not in this alone,” he said.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for all of us to get together to share our ideas, and really bring this Fraternity into its greater whole as a national organization.”

Coming into the weekend, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. A weather-induced delay seemed like a bad omen.

But once the undergraduates arrived and engaged in their first session, one thing was clear: these guys were ready to work.

Every single undergraduate—yep, even with nearly 100 of them—was invested in the conversation.

“Presidents’ Academy was a great launch,” facilitator Ken Riley, UW-LaCrosse ’85, said. “It was an amazing weekend, especially for a program in its inception.”

As the weekend program wrapped up on Sunday morning, I pulled aside several undergraduates and asked, “what was your biggest take-a-away from this weekend?”

Cameron Carey, UW-LaCrosse ‘12, said: “Don’t give up any opportunity to not only make a difference as a bystander, but to make a difference as a chapter leader.

That’s what I took from it.”

Dan Ward, Missouri ’13, said: “My biggest takeaway?

Talking about everything with all the chapter presidents from around the country and really getting a different sense of what fraternity means to them.”

The attendees were quickest to mention the companionship they developed with one another in just three days. When asked for his biggest takeaway, undergrad

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Nicholas Sweetman leaned back, looked to his fellow chapter presidents and asked, “What would you say?

Camaraderie?”

One attendee responded, “It’s all of us coming together. What else would you say?”

Sweetman said, “There was a lot of camaraderie between all the presidents here.

Our chapters are similar. We’re all members of the same Fraternity.

But now I feel like I can give any one of them a phone call if I have a bad day or an issue in my chapter, and those relationships will make me better and make Delta Sig a stronger fraternity.”

Although these victories may seem small to the average person, you know that they are not. Donors like you help make programs like The Presidents’ Academy possible. We, along with the students we serve are full of gratitude for your generosity. Again, thank you for your support.

Sponsor an Undergraduate to Go Overseas

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or the first time in Fraternity history, we will be offering a service-immersion trip, “The Journey,” for our undergraduate members. This May, through our partnership with AFLV (The Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values), members will embark on a seven-day experience to Honduras with brothers from across the country.

Honduras is a lower middle income country facing significant challenges, with more than two thirds of the country’s population living in poverty, and around 46% in extreme poverty. The Journey gives our brothers a unique opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Each day will introduce a new and exciting opportunity within local communities; activities range from building a school, clinic or library to constructing wells for families in need of clean drinking water. We will work together to explore a new culture, put our values into action, and build connections that will last a lifetime.

We are looking for fifteen brothers to make “The Journey” in May. The cost to participate in is $955 + airfare.

initiatives like The Journey so that members have opportunities to learn from cultures outside their own,” Director of Education Ry Beck said. “This is the first time Delta Sigma Phi has been able to provide an experience that allows brothers to practice the values of our Fraternity outside the United States, and I think we will see a great return in the development of those who are able to attend. Our mission is to Build Better Men, and The Journey is one more way we are continuing to live up to that mission.”

The Journey is intended to challenge our undergrads view of the world. To sponsor a student or to learn more, contact Nathan Wight, wight@deltasig.org or 317-687-3596.

This is where we need you.

Will you help make volunteering abroad possible for a deserving student? By making a gift to the Foundation, you can provide an undergraduate with a ticket to see the world. Full scholarships will be awarded to students who are able to receive academic credit by participating in the Journey. Your gift will go to work immediately, making a real difference.

“People choose to give for a number of reasons, but I think it is important to support

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