AKA Sorority launches community assistance mini-grant initiative

ST. PETERSBURG – The Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has launched a new Community Assistance Awards Initiative. The purpose of the awards is to support the development of community service projects and increase civic engagement among youth and families.

The Community Assistance Awards range from $500 to $1,000 and may be awarded to eligible small community service and charitable or non-profit organizations* in the Tampa Bay area.  Only one award will be granted per organization. Recipients will be notified by Nov. 23.  Funding will be awarded to organizations who successfully implement a program or activity that addresses one of the following program targets:

• Health
• Education
• Poverty
• Entrepreneurship/Financial Literacy/Budgeting
• Social justice and Human Rights
• Literacy
• The Arts

Applications are available at www.zuochapter.org and must be received or postmarked by Oct. 31. Awards will be presented during a public reception at 4 p.m. Dec. 20 at the St. Petersburg Hilton Hotel.

For more information, contact Jacqueline Gayle-Kelly at zetaupsilonomega@gmail.com.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is the oldest Greek-letter organization established in America by black women and was founded on Jan. 15, 1908, at Howard University.  Led by International President Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, the organization connects thousands of college-trained women who give of themselves to support community service projects and scholarship programs.

To underscore the sorority’s commitment to the community, the women of Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter actively participates in and sponsors the Exquisite Gem and Pathfinder Programs, Read-A-Loud Program, MoneySense Financial Literacy Program, Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, College Preparation workshops and provides financial support to a host of community organizations in the Tampa Bay area.

*Organizations without 501(c)3 status can apply.  Organizations who are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and National Panhellenic Conference are not eligible to apply.