Epsilon Sigma Alpha
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Epsilon Sigma Alpha International () is a community and collegiate
service organization A service club or service organization is a voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club is defined firstl ...
for anyone ages 18 and older. The organization states that its purpose "is to inspire leadership and service by bringing good people together to pursue programs and projects that make a positive difference locally, nationally and internationally." The organization's mission statement reads: "ESA is Good Friends, Good Works, and Good Times… We create activities and support causes that let us surround ourselves with welcoming, positive people who enjoy making a difference and having fun together." Established in 1929, ΕΣΑ is a network of an estimated 10,000 members in over 1,000 community based chapters, with coordinating organizations at state and international levels. ΕΣΑ also includes United States collegiate chapters which provide charitable service to their campuses and communities. All service by ΕΣΑ members is unpaid, with membership fees covering large portions of administrative and chapter expenses.


Philanthropic projects

Chapters, both independently and jointly, conduct fund raising activities for charitable causes. As the care and expenses of handicapped children are a current ESA priority, the international Philanthropic Projects of Epsilon Sigma Alpha are
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, pa ...
and the Easter Seal Society. As of July 2006, ΕΣΑ had raised over 100 million dollars for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, meeting an organization goal for their 75th anniversary

As of 2019, ΕΣΑ has helped raise more than $245 million in cash and pledges for the kids of St. Jude.

ΕΣΑ has endowed the St. Jude Bone Marrow Transplant area in the hospital's Patient Care Center and the fourth floor of the ALSAC Tower. Through their efforts to raise awareness and funds, ΕΣΑ helps support Easterseals and has been a supporter of Easterseals since 1982 when they were adopted as a second International Project. Since that date ΕΣΑ has raised over $6 million. ΕΣΑ also encourages each local chapter to select and support local benevolent, charitable or civic enterprises. ΕΣΑ activities on local levels may be jointly organized with men's fraternal organizations, including the
Lions Clubs International The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...
. As a whole, the chapters have created an impressive record of service. Each year, members help raise millions of dollars for philanthropic projects and give an estimated 650,000 hours of personal service. In addition, the ΕΣΑ Foundation supports education through an ongoing Scholarship/Endowment Program and provides grants to individuals involved in charitable service for children and adults.


History

Adelia Prichard of Oregon, a National President of Business and Professional Women's Clubs from 1923 to 1925, spearheaded the sorority's organization by proposing a national education and service sorority. In 1929, a group of community oriented women in
Jacksonville, Texas Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Cherokee County, and pa ...
drafted an organization charter. With ten signatures, a national charter was issued to ΕΣΑ by the state of Missouri on February 11, 1930. The organization still functions under the original charter but is now incorporated in the state of Colorado. Prichard was appointed the first National Director, and spearheaded the sorority's early growth. She asked prominent women from around the United States to serve as members of the Founder's Chapter and to act as advisors. The chapter included Pearl Kinman; Clara Leach; Althea Terry, State President of the Business and Professional Clubs; Susan. B. Rebhan, a State Supreme Court Judge; Florence Sterling, writer and editor; Phoebe Kerrick Warner, author and National Chairman of the Rural Women's Clubs; businesswoman Florence Crawford; teacher Daisy Birchfield; and Mary Redfield Plummer, lecturer on parliamentary law at Northwestern University. The first National Headquarters office was located in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
, with a central states divisional office in
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. Director Sybil Murphy Flaherty organized the first National Convention in 1938. Two chapters in Kansas City hosted the convention with about 60 delegates attending. At that time, delegates set up a National Advisory Council (the forerunner of the present International Council), and elected Irene Copeland Lugland of Kansas City as the first National President. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, ΕΣΑ National Headquarters sponsored an “Empty Your Purse for Uncle Sam” campaign, one of the first nationally organized activities of the organization. In this door to door campaign, members collected metal for recycling into munitions. ΕΣΑ also collected books and other reading material for distribution to soldiers around the world. Local projects to assist the war effort were encouraged, and many chapters enrolled and sponsored Red Cross courses to combat local emergencies. In 1948, an ΕΣΑ chapter was organized in Voorsburg, in the
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. The name of the National Advisory Council was then changed to the International Advisory Council. Since then, Epsilon Sigma Alpha chapters have been organized in Germany, Guam, Denmark, Peru, Australia, Mexico, the Philippines, and Scotland. In 1988 the first collegiate chapter was formed, on the campus of
Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...
.


Emblems and symbols

Emblems associated with ΕΣΑ include the Greek letters Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ΕΣΑ). A national emblem is versioned, based on the needs of local and state chapters. The yellow jonquil was chosen as the organization's floral emblem as it is "rich in color, perfect in form." A members magazine, ''The Jonquil,'' takes its name from the flower and is published twice yearly. A streamlined logo was adopted during a brand refresh, consisting of three joined circles surrounding the three English letters representing the name of the society.


Collegiate Chapters

Epsilon Sigma Alpha has the following Collegiate ChaptersCollegiate Chapter list
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Charitable Connections

* Affiliation with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Web site
* Affiliation with Easter Seals
Easter Seals Web site


References


External links

*
Charitable Entity Registration - State of Washington
{{Authority control Student organizations established in 1929 Fraternities and sororities in the United States St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Charity fundraisers 1929 establishments in Texas