More than 1,000 lovely ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, the first Sorority founded by black women, converged in Palm Springs for a weekend of business, relaxation, and sisterhood at the 80th Annual Far Western Regional Conference at the Wyndham Palm Springs Hotel and the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The weekend was about "Going Green: Energizing Sorors' Potential in the New Millennium." Members of the Sorority were provided with information on subjects such as business, family life, technology, and the expectations of each chapter and sister. "Going Green" also means that they are conscious of the environment.

For the conference the ladies limited the amount of paper used by switching to newer forms of technology to communicate and they held meetings through teleconferences to plan the event, which limited time spent on the highways driving to meetings.

"We used every means that we could come up with to think in terms of environment," said Dr. LaVern Tarkington, the 23rd Far Western Regional Director. "One of our main goals is to educate the community to save our environment."

Alpha Kappa Alpha is in its 101st year. This conference was used to make vital decisions to help shape the Sorority's second 100 years. Sorority members received information about membership, how the chapters need to function, on the national programs, as well as other information.

The conference had a wide range of events, including a Public Meeting, where individuals who have made significant contributions to the Palm Springs and Southern California areas were honored. The honorees included Linda Smith, President & CEO of Four D College; Rose Mays, Executive Director, Riverside County Fair Housing Council; Kenneth Bently, Vice President, Nestle USA, Inc; Ingrid Johnson, Co-Founder, Legacy Rountable; Charles Moore, Co-Founder, Legacy Roundtable.

The experiences from this event bring members of the organization closer to each other.

"There is a need for our membership to come together as a region to bond as a sisterhood and reacquaint ourselves with each other, and to have a good time," said Dr. Tarkington.

This conference allowed the ladies to meet and reconnect with sisters that they normally do not see.

"It's always good to reconnect with sisters in the region," Said Erika Randall, member of Beta Theta Omega in Inglewood. "It lets us know that we are apart of something bigger. The conference was very rewarding, informative, and rejuvenating."

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is committed to educational, economic, civic, and health related activities. The organization is involved in efforts to eliminate the problems of African American youth and their families, to provide educational enrichment in communities across the country, to address issues and concerns that impact on the quality of life, and to improve the economic stature of members and the communities in which Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated serves. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is particularly committed to providing "Service to all Mankind" through community service.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is America's first Greek-letter organization founded in 1908 by, and for, African-American college women. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it is one of the world's leading service organizations. The sorority's members have made a commitment "to serve all mankind" through a nucleus of more than 200,000 women in over 975 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Korea, Japan, and in the continent of Africa.

The Far Western Region consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Utah. For more information on the Far Western Region, log on to www.akafarwest.com.

Last update: 06-10-2009 23:16

Published in : News, Local

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