Omega Alpha Omega (OAO) Chapter was officially chartered on March 8, 2015 at the Westin Stonebriar Hotel and Golf Club. This is the 985th chapter of the 107-year old organization. The day began with a private ceremony for the 60 chartering members conducted by the South Central Regional Director of AKA, Mrs. Chelle Luper Wilson. In attendance to witness the ceremony were another 150 members of AKA from other areas and chapters in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including both international and regional dignitaries. The day culminated with a public luncheon honoring the new chapter and celebrating the communities the group, formerly known as the Pink Tea Rose Sisters of Service, had been serving.
The luncheon, attended by nearly 400 guests from as far away as Florida, was led by guest Mistress of Ceremony, Latoya Silmon, News Anchor and Reporter for FOX 4 News. The new chapter honored its first scholarship recipient, Tiffeny Espinosa, a graduating senior of Frisco ISD. Espinosa’s essay talked about overcoming many obstacles to graduate and how she was determined not to let anything get in the way of achieving her dreams and flourishing amongst adversity. It was her words that moved the members of OAO to choose her for the technology scholarship and award her with a new laptop computer in addition to the $2,500 tuition scholarship to Texas Premier Technology Institute. As an encore to the scholarship award, Dr. Larry Lewis, Frisco ISD’s Coordinator of At Risk Services, spoke in gratitude of the chapter’s support for the community over the last two years. “Who does that?” he kept stating as he talked about the many ways the women had gone above and beyond the call of duty; from the number of volunteers that attended each event and the amount of food and supplies they furnished, to the purchasing of additional supplies in the middle of an event when they ran out and there were still needy students to serve.
The chartering of the newest graduate chapter for AKA at the beginning of Women’s History month was definitely a tribute to the 16 founders who paved the way 107 years ago to be of service to all mankind. Given the significant growth of the area OAO services, including Denton, Frisco, Little Elm, Prosper, and The Colony; they are strategically positioned to have a significant impact on the community while promoting the sorority’s five targets: Educational Enrichment, Health Promotion, Family Strengthening, Environmental Ownership, and Global Impact.