Philanthropy

Ronald McDonald House

In 1979, Alpha Delta Pi chose the Ronald McDonald House Charities to be their national philanthropy. Since it first associated with this organization, Alpha Delta Pi has contributed over $2 million to Ronald McDonald Houses nationally.

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) supports Ronald McDonald Houses in local communities and funds grants to other non-profit organizations who focus on children in need. There are 271 Ronald McDonald Houses in 30 countries, whose functions are to provide comfort, care and "a home-away-from home" for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. More than 10 million families have utilized the Ronald McDonald houses, saving over $120 million in housing and meal expenses.

Families find the comforts of home at Ronald McDonald Houses and Family Rooms, where shelter is available to all families of critically ill or injured children. At the Ronald McDonald Houses and Family Rooms, families share experiences, understanding and empathy with others whose worlds have been turned upside down. For more information about the Ronald McDonald House's you can visit their website at http://rmhc.org.

Every year, Alpha Eta organizes and sponsors a double-elimination softball tournament, Alpha Delta Pi Softball Classic, to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Alpha Eta sends the money raised during the tournament to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita. The tournament is usually played during spring and consists of approximately 24 teams consisting of different fraternities to community citizens. Alpha Eta members serve as coaches and announcers for the games.

In addition to donating money to this worthwhile cause, many Alpha Delta Pi collegiate chapters and alumnae associations spend their time and energy volunteering at these houses. Alpha Eta travels to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Topeka and Wichita each semester to volunteer their time in cleaning the houses and doing other household chores.

Ali Kemp T.A.K.E. Foundation

Each year, the Alpha Eta Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi takes part in Ali Kemp T.A.K.E. Defense training programs at Kansas State University, as well as other T.A.K.E. activities. T.A.K.E. Defense was established in 2005 by the Kemp family in partnership with Johnson County Park and Recreation District and in cooperation with Blue Valley Recreation Commission and Leawood Park and Recreation. It was started to bring a bright future, a heart to care and help, a smile to melt worry away, because all of these were taken away from Roger and Kathy Kemp when their daughter, Ali, was murdered.

So what did they do to fight back? They created a program to forever carry on Ali's legacy and ensure that what happened to her doesn't happen to another. The program is called The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation or T.A.K.E. Foundation.

Over 20,000 girls and women ages 12 and older have been trained with free hands-on self-defense training. T.A.K.E. Defense carries its message and training across the United States each year to colleges and universities such as Kansas University, University of Missouri, Kansas State University, University of Miami, Vanderbilt University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, University of Wisconsin and more. T.A.K.E. Defense Training has been featured on America's Most Wanted, ABC's "20/20" and CBS Prime Time along with numerous local and regional news casts. Our goal is clear, as said by Mr. Kemp at each program, "If we can save one life out there, I don't care what it costs; this whole program will be worth it."

To learn more about T.A.K.E. visit http://www.takedefense.org