Local AKA Sorority members celebrate 25 and 50 years of service

ORLANDO— Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. celebrated its 62nd South Atlantic Regional Conference April 15-19 in Orlando at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. More than 5,100 members dressed in pink and green hailing from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to attend the event.

During the conference weekend, members attended various workshops focusing on economic and social justice issues and engaged in the sorority’s 2014-18 international program entitled “Launching New Dimensions of Service.” The program addresses community needs in five target areas: Educational enrichment, health promotion, family strengthening, environmental ownership and global impact.

LaTonya Alexander

Several AKA Akademy students attended the HBCU College Fair sponsored by Disney. These lovely young ladies contributed more than 2,108 backpacks to be donated to students in the Orlando area.

During the conference, Myrtle Williams and Mildred Kennedy were honored for 50 years of service, and Shauna McCallister, Patrice Moore and LaTonya Alexander were honored for 25 years, all with the Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter.

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

Hostess chapters for the South Atlantic Regional Conference consist of 16 graduate chapters and 11 undergraduate chapters from Florida. The South Atlantic Region is noted as the largest of the 10 regions in the sorority.

The region, under the leadership of 18th Regional Director Sharon Brown Harriott, is comprised of 165 graduate and undergraduate chapters and over 10,000 members.

With a membership internationally of over 285,000 women, the sorority has more than 975 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea and South Africa.