serv·ice /ˈsərvəs/ the action of helping or doing work for someone.

Annual Youth Symposium

"Held simultaneously, on the second Saturday of March by Alumnae Chapters across the nation, our Youth Symposium serves as a unifying effort during Sigma Week. The Symposium (supported by undergraduate chapters and affiliates) is designed to highlight some of the prevalent concerns that negatively impact our youth (drugs, teen violence, abuse, low self-esteem, suicide, teen pregnancy, human trafficking, etc.) "
Our goal is to be relevant in the lives of our youth.
Program Benefits:
  • Improved educational outcomes.
  • Improved behavioral outcomes.
  • A highly anticipated annual event supported by local communities

Operation BigBookBag

​"Operation BigBookBag is a program designed to address the needs, challenges and issues that face school-aged children who are educationally at-risk, in local homeless shelters and extended-care hospitals and facilities. Through this program, chapters and members collect and donate educational materials, equipment and school supplies."
Our goal is to:
  • Provide quick and easy access to reference materials and other studying aids and tools that will help students with educational endeavors.
  • Equip students with the means of completing their homework assignments in effort to keep them current and up to date.
  • Assist shelters, youth centers, schools and hospitals in their efforts to meet some of the educational needs of children and young adults housed at their facilities.

Women's Wellness Initiative

Project CRADLE Care
"The Women’s Wellness Initiative is a consolidated effort that allows chapters to focus on health issues that impact women; specifically, women of color. The Women’s Wellness Initiative was developed after the Sorority’s participation in the United Nations/March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness panel in New York. Acceptable educational and programmatic efforts under this Initiative include, but are not limited to Breast Cancer Awareness, Intimate and Domestic Violence, Heart Health, Diabetes Health, Mental Health and other issues that target women. WWI programs can be conducted at any time during the sorority year."
Program Benefits:
  • Encourage women to maintain a healthy lifestyle and minimize health risks
  • Empower women to make informed decisions about their physical, mental, and emotional health
  • Ensure there is a representative number of African American women in health studies
"Our goal is to have a positive impact on the quality of life for children who are born prematurely, or as a result of teen pregnancy. A collaboration between Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and the March of Dimes, Project Cradle Care Prenatal Health Program seeks to improve pregnancy outcomes in high-risk communities by increasing the number of women of childbearing age who receive adequate prenatal education and care. The program also focuses on educating moms about proper infant care and child development."
Program Benefits:
  • Financial contributions to help improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
  •  Help teen mothers prepare for life with a newborn.
  • Support teen mothers so they may continue their education and development.

SWIM 1922

Picture

"Swim 1922 was created to address the unfortunate truth that according to the CDC, approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S.A. An even more startling fact is that 70 percent of African American children and 60 percent of Hispanic children in the U.S. do not know how to swim. Additionally, African American children are three times more likely to drown than Caucasian children. Through the partnership with USA Swimming, Sigma Gamma Rho’s Swim 1922 campaign aims to address this disparity by having. Olympians and members of the sorority teach the community about water safety and how to swim. With USA Swimming, Sigma Gamma Rho has touched close to 20,000 lives, directly, with the projection of changing multiple generations to come. Swim 1922 programs are conducted during May-August of the sorority year. Our goal is to strengthen USA Swimming’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by breaking down barriers, created by a lack of access and exposure, and expanding our footprint in the local community to increase swim participation and decrease drowning rates."
​Program Benefits:
  • Provides opportunities for youth and adults within the African-American community to learn water safety in general and swimming specifically.
  • Reduces the level of fear and apprehension of learning to swim.
  • Opens minds and change attitudes regarding Blacks and swimming.