Bringing families closer together

BY KARIN DAVIS-THOMPSON, Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG — The Zeta Gamma Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. will be one of the many nonprofits in St. Pete using the MLK Day of Service grant to better the community in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his commitment to service.

The organization will partner with the Corner of Success and Achievement Center (COSA) to provide a fun family night designed to urge families to spend more time together.

Lisa Wilson, the chapter president said working with COSA through the service grant has given them the opportunity to meet one of the important pillars of their organization – service to the community.

“Under our national umbrella, we promote helping people to excel,” Wilson said. “And working on this event with COSA allows us to reach all age levels, children, parents and grandparents.”

COSA works with families experiencing a wide range of challenges from dealing with substance abuse in the family to raising children with special needs.

The Zetas will host COSA families on Friday, Jan. 12, providing a guest speaker to discuss parenting strategies, games for the families to engage in together and books on parenting and family for participants to take home with them.  This will be the second year the Zetas have received an MLK grant and hosted an event of this caliber.

Wilson said hosting the event, which they call “The World is a Rainbow – Parenting and Family Activity Night” has given many of the families the chance to reconnect.

“The bonds that you see them build throughout the night are what I remember most,” Wilson said. “A lot of them may not get the opportunity to spend this much time together.”

Not only does this initiative build a bond for the families that attend, but Wilson said she also believes it has a positive impact on the community and speaks to the core of what Dr. King was all about.

“When you strengthen families you strengthen the community, and that is a part of Dr. King’s legacy,” Wilson said.

Along with Friday’s event, the Zetas and their volunteer/community groups, Zeta Amicae and the Zeta Youth Academy, will spend MLK Day gathering donations and stocking the shelves at COSA for families in need of assistance.