Alpha Kappa Alpha

We went downtown yesterday, to the 100th Anniversary celebration of this wonderful sorority of women, Alpha Kappa Alpha. One of its members put together a Pajama Drive as part of their community service for their 100th "birthday."

The member contacted me last November, telling me that she hoped to collect 1908 pajamas, that number being significant because that's the founding year of their sorority. Their final collection number was most impressive-- the largest collection our Chapter of the Pajama Program has received to date--- 972 pajama sets, along with 2 pairs of tiny baby slippers. I'm so glad our neighbor V drove us downtown in her van, because all of those boxes never would have fit into our car.

I was totally overwhelmed with the AKA celebration yesterday. As soon as we walked into the school which was hosting their Health Fair, the PJ Drive, and the Voting Registration Desk, you could just feel the positive energy in there. It was like being at a party that you hoped would never end. And not only did all that good energy surround you, the love that was in the air there was unmistakable. There was a camera from a local station, so that was a little unexpected for me, but I'm hoping that whatever I said while the camera was rolling came out the way I wanted it to. I guess I'm going to have to practice public speaking if all these large PJ Drives continue to take place. The AKA also had their own photographer there, and he kept us all laughing as he posed us with the various members of each AKA Chapter. My husband was taking a lot of photos as well, so I tried to keep my eye on him as I spoke, and as I smiled--- a familiar face in the crowd to focus on!

Yesterday's PJ Drive was the idea of just one of the members of the AKA. She thought of it back in November, did everything she could to let everyone know what they were doing and what they hoped to accomplish, and so many of her sorority sisters told me that her enthusiasm was just boundless. The PJ table was so beautifully decorated, and the collection boxes were covered in bright wrapping paper, and she had clean boxes to pack everything in for us.... she literally thought of everything to make this event a success.

For me, standing in the AKA "family" of confident, dignified, unflappable women, I could feel their strength of character emanating outward--- and I hope some of that was taken in by every cell in my body.


We took V out to lunch yesterday before we drove home... we all needed to take a break from the pajamas--- I was helping to box the pjs inside the school, and my husband and V loaded them into the van. So before we got home to take everything out of the van, we stopped at a Cajun deli for a New Orleans-style lunch. (Mardi Gras has begun here in Texas and Louisiana.) We got home at 3:00, and from 3:30 till 10:30 last night, all I did was cut off price-tags, sort, count, (re-count just to double-check myself) and re-box all those pajamas. They're all separated now, and labeled, and I will get them delivered to the shelters this week.

What a day it was yesterday...... what a blessedly inspiring day. AKA rocks, to say the least!