Volume 96 - Issue 10 | April 2024

Cathy Tenney, Editor

A Message From

OSO President Melodie McGee

Greetings. . .It's a beautiful day today in our

OSO Delta Kappa Gamma Society neighborhood!

As we enter the month of April we are sometimes greeted with different degrees of showers of rain. During the fall, I received from a Joint Chapter Luncheon and Meeting in Cincinnati sponsored by Delta Psi a beautiful plant called a Spider Plant.

Since I received that plant, I placed it a sunny window, fertilized, watered, and nurtured it in numerous ways. It has grown, thrived and even began to propagate. This plant looks like it’s raining smaller plants growing out from it. This plant reminded me about the knowledge that we sprinkle, drip, and sometimes even pour into the members of our OSO Chapters.

During the month April, let’s reign down on our chapter members knowledge from our Delta Kappa Gamma Society International website. Let’s help them explore/discover the benefits of being a member of our Society including the opportunities for leadership, discounts, recognitions, financial assistance, publishing, advocacy, along with travel and networking opportunities. As we provide this information to our chapter members they too will absorb and take in the knowledge, then share this information with others about some of the benefits that you gain by becoming a member of Delta Kappa Gamma. This will encourage members of DKG to share these benefits with other women educators about reasons why they should become members of Delta Kappa Gamma Society too!

Continue reading OSO President Melodie's Message

Sophie Zebrowski-Pierce

Tau

Marcia A. Overholt

Alpha Omega

Darlene DePouw

Delta Mu

Phyllis E. Smith

Delta Chi

Webmaster Eileen McNally is Retiring

Eileen McNally, our talented webmaster, is retiring in June of this year. Over the twelve years of her employment as webmaster, Eileen has helped all of us learn the ins and outs of using technology. She not only designs and maintains our OSO website, she has also helped many chapters set up their websites. Eileen is a great communicator willing to share her knowledge and advice. How will we ever fill those talented and dedicated shoes?

According to the guidelines of the Personnel Committee, if anyone of our paid personnel retires or is unable to continue during the biennium, the state president will appoint a person to fill that position for the remainder of the biennium. President McGee is already working on this part of her responsibilities.

The Personnel Committee’s responsibility is to start advertising for candidates in The Voice and on our website. The applicant does not have to be a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society but will serve as part of the administrative team and together will support and update our communications. A complete description of job responsibilities for the webmaster is included on our website along with the application. The application should be returned no later than January 10, 2025.

Beth Archer

Personnel Committee Co-Chair

OSO Members Art Work and Photographs Selected to be Displayed in the

2024 DKG Spring Fine Arts Gallery

Congratulations to Melissa Hackett, Gamma Pi Chapter President and Cathy Tenney, Beta Kappa, Editor of The Voice on having their art work and photographs selected to appear in the 2024 DKG Spring Fine Arts Gallery. Their work will be on display for six months beginning mid April on the DKG website.

Alter Ego - 2-D Watercolor

Melissa Hackett

Mt. Moran, Grand Tetons

Cathy Tenney, Beta Kappa

Pilsen Pals - Pilsen, Czech Republic

Cathy Tenney, Beta Kappa

Membership Treasures

S.H.I.N.E!

Our DKG OSO chests are overflowing with treasures! Each month our OSO. Membership Committee will share some ideas focused around the S.H.I.N.E. acronym. Each monthly focus will help strengthen chapters.

The E in S.H.I.N.E. stands for EVERYONE! Who is responsible for finding key women educators to add to our treasure chest? The answer is everyone is responsible. All Delta Kappa Gamma members should have their spy glasses out looking for potential members. We can no longer put all the responsibility on our executive boards and membership committees at the chapter or state level. It simply will not build up our chapters and sustain the future of OSO.

Our first purpose to unite women educators of the world in a genuine spiritual fellowship is the key to our success! Why did you accept the invitation of membership into DKG? Please ponder this question. I would venture to guess it was because someone you respected or enjoyed being with asked you. They lifted you up, made you feel worthy, and gave you the confidence to accept membership. Who can you give the same gift to? How will it change their life? Maybe they will gain confidence, develop into a leader, or at the minimum find a place where they feel connected and supported through genuine spiritual fellowship. Truly, fulfilling Anne Webb Blanton’s vision for DKG.

Let EVERYONE open up our DKG treasure chest and let it S.H.I.N.E. on a key woman educator who needs us as much as we need her!

Continue reading Membership Treasures S.H.I.N.E.

Election Requirements for New Members

Some members have expressed confusion for electing new members. I would like to clarify misunderstandings.

The International Constitution:

Article III Section A. Membership

Membership in The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International shall be by invitation. A member inducted into the Society becomes a member of the International Society, in addition to a state organization and/or a chapter.
An individual becomes a member of the Society when she pays her dues.

Article III Section C. Election

A candidate for active or collegiate membership shall be selected by the method established by the chapter's rules.
A candidate for honorary membership at the chapter, state organization, or international level shall be elected by the method established by the respective executive board.

What does this mean? The only requirement from International and the State is that an incoming member be invited by a current member. This is not a change in the International Constitution, it is the same in the 2018 International Constitution. It simply has come to light recently with some members.

However, chapter rules may include the requirement that members vote on acceptance of a new member. If this is a requirement in your chapter rules, you may continue with it or choose to eliminate it. International and the State have no bearing on that decision.

Joyce Jones Winkam. Gamma Xi

OSO Parliamentarian

Membership Committee Survey

The OSO Membership Committee would like to create a resource for chapters that lists ideas for presenters, programs, activities, projects, etc. They will share the resources collected with chapters in the May issue of The Voice which they can use when beginning to plan for their 2024-2025 meetings. Use the link provided below to complete the survey.

Survey Link

News from the 2024 Legislative Forum

Happy Spring to everyone!! I was happy to represent Ohio at the 2024 Legislative Forum in Washington during the week of March 10 through March 13. I was able to connect with many of our sisters from states around the U.S. and to make new friends. Please check out the news from my time at the 2024 Legislative Forum in Washington D. C. by clicking on the following link:

https://www.smore.com/n/jdzq4

Sharon Scheidegger, Beta Delta

Legislative Liaison UN & US Forum

DKGIEF: Women Honoring Women

Honor a woman who has had a significant impact on your life or career.

For each $25 donation made in honor of that special woman, DKGIEF will send you a specially designed card and pin to present her. Your donation must be postmarked or received between March 1, 2024 through April 15, 2024.

DKGIEF will offer a different pin each year in celebration of International Women’s Day. The initial 2024 pin features the blue hydrangea which symbolizes gratitude and heartfelt emotion. Parts of the flower and stems will be raised to give a 3D effect.

For further details on how to make your donation, visit the DKGIEF website or scan this QR Code with your mobile device.

DKGIEF Dueling Pianos Event

Looking for a fun night out? Well, toss in your dancing shoes and tune up your vocal cords for an evening spent at Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar on Wednesday, July 10, from 6 to 11 pm, sponsored by DKGIEF. World-class musicians will play all your requests and favorites while weaving in improvisational humor. Heavy appetizers, desserts, and soda/water will be included with your ticket purchase, and the venue is just steps away from the convention center. A portion of the $150 ticket price will be tax deductible as a contribution to DKGIEF. Tickets are limited to 300, so join your DKG sisters as you’ll sing and laugh the night away while making incredible memories.

DKG Ohio Membership and Chapter Update

Active Members	2,287
Collegiate Members	5
Reserve Members	305
Total Membership	2,597
Ohio Chapters	70

Statement of Financial Activity

Revenue	$46,706.00
Expenses	$22,076.00
Epsilon Alpha Expenses*	$ 424.00
Net Income	$24,206.00

Statement of Financial Position

Assets	$240,835.00
Board Designated*	$ 1,076.00
Total Assets	$241,911.00
Liabilities	$310.00
Total Equity	$241,601.00

Diana Haskell, OSO Treasurer

Ohio Chapter Activities

Delta Kappa Chapter celebrated their chapter's birthday by making valentines for their shut-in members and residents of area nursing homes. Led by Marilyn Duvall, Tina Bryenton, Shirley Harbaugh and Becky Molnar who are art teachers, the group drew and painted cards, created valentine pins, and cut out snowflakes.

Gamma Sigma Chapter members Patricia Neader, Nancy Canniff, Melody Blake, Linda Geyer, Deb Adam, and Louann Henderson cut fabric for blankets which were tied off at their March meeting. The blankets will be donated to Perry County Children’s Services for children in need.

Marsha Graham, Gamma Alpha, purchased a raffle ticket from Holly Morgan and Elizabeth Smith of Delta Upsilon at their recent joint chapters meeting. The raffle tickets are for a lottery tree and wreath. Money raised will be used to help the Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter supported by Delta Upsilon.

Girl Scout Troop 1425 under the direction of Deb Hornyak, Beta Eta Treasurer, attended our March meeting. The group of seventh and eighth grade cadets created a poster board telling about Girl Scouts and another with pictures of their service projects and activities. They also created a display about DKG. The Cadets shared the history of the DKG founders and Girl Scout founder. They did a compare and contrast activity of DKG and Girl Scouts.

The Alpha Nu Chapter of Lancaster Ohio recently awarded a $750 scholarship to teacher intern Hannah Harrison. Shown is Hannah and Sally Persinger, scholarship chair. Scholarships are earned based on achievement, dedication, and financial need through The Veneta Thropp scholarship funds