For The Love: OPBSI’s First Summer-time Convention in Chicago a Success!
Chicago, IL – August, 17, 2015
* For Immediate Release *
Contact:
Gabrielle Sarda
Director of Public Relations
PR@OmegaPhiBeta.org
On August 13th Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (OPBSI) kicked-off its first summer-time Convention “For the Love”: a weekend full of bonding, workshops, and business meetings, themed around what it means for us to love our organization, one another and what we do. Sisters traveled from near and far, all across the United States to Chicago, IL in hopes to blind the city with our radiance, and it proved to be quite a success!
Activities during the weekend included everything from an evening sail on Lake Michigan to socially conscious crafting. Friday morning sisters and guests gathered for the thrilling “Love Chi-City Urban Adventure”, a scavenger hunt through the streets of Chicago organized by our hosts, OPBSI’s Alpha Iota Alumnae Chapter of Chicago! Later that same day Fall 2014, Spring 2015 and Summer 2015 neophytes joined national officers a “Style your bag, design your soul” Neophyte Social which was sponsored by TOMS! All of the sisters in attendance received drawstring bags and participated in the #TomsTribe campaign.
At the Business Meeting we welcomed two extraordinary honorary sisters into the organization: Adriana V. Cusumano, Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase and Dr. Emily A. Daniels, Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh! We also had the pleasure of announcing four collectives that earned chapter charters and one new alumnae collective in South Florida. Congratulations to the new chapters of OPBSI:
• Beta Xi Chapter at Rhode Island College – Providence, RI
• Beta Omicron Chapter at Purdue College – West Lafayette, IN
• Beta Pi Chapter at Yale University – New Haven, CT
• Alpha Kappa Alumnae Chapter – New Haven, CT
Saturday sisters and guests joined us for several through provoking and sweat inducing “Self-Love” workshops including a Zumba session hosted by instructor and sister, Heidy Valenzuela, a step clinic hosted by our National Step/Stroll Team, a marketing & branding workshop hosted by entrepreneurs and Cali Betas, Monica Rivera and Stephanie Rose, and a workshop on self-identity hosted by the Spectrum special committee under the OPBSI Board of Trustees.
Saturday evening the weekend reached its peak with our Awards Banquet held at John Barleycorn’s beautiful rooftop venue in downtown Chicago with an ice sculpture and cake display organized by our event planner EXACT publicity. Our sisters, families, and friends arrived dressed to impress for an evening of celebration and love. We enjoyed a performance by the Art of Stepping Foundation (AOS), and an emotional speech by Angela Rose, Founder of PAVE Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, beneficiary of this year’s Ray of Hope Walk to End Violence Against Women (ROHW). We also celebrated the achievements of our sisters and entities and honored the hard work and dedication of our members in 2014 with our Annual Sorority Awards. Congratulations to all of the Chapters and Sisters whom received awards that evening:
Undergraduate of the Year:
Gabriela Mata, Beta Iota Chapter
Darlene Classen, Alpha and Alpha Theta Chapters
Leadership Award
Elizaveta F. Reyes, Tau Chapter
Jessica P. Roman Dedication Award
Cindy Silva, Alpha Chapter
Monica L. Miranda Image Award
Claribel Crews, Beta Xi Chapter
Sister of the Year Award
Brenda Lopez, Beta Kappa and Alpha Kappa Chapters
Professional of the Year Award
Jessica M. Saul, Alpha Chapter
Philanthropist of the Year Award
Michelina Ferrara, Psi Chapter
Outstanding National Service Award
Melissa Molina, Epsilon Chapter
Chapter/Collective of the Year Award
Beta Mu Chapter, University of California Berkeley
Most Improved Chapter/Collective of the Year
Beta Nu Chapter, Johnson and Wales University
Trailblazer of the Year Award
Beta Pi Chapter, Yale University
Region of the Year Award
Region 5 – Southeast
We sincerely thank everyone who was part of our National Convention “For the Love” in particular our sponsor: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), for the gift that allowed us to give away two (2) *free* tickets to our Awards Banquet, and special thanks to the Epsilon Chapter at Long Island University CW Post, and Village Care Max for their donations.
It was an amazing weekend and we could not have asked for better support from our members and our community. To view pictures of the weekend please visit OPBSI’s official Facebook page or search the hashtag #ForTheLove1989 on Twitter and Instagram.
Omega Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated is a Greek-lettered organization committed to spreading the Awareness of Violence Against Women. The mission of OPBSI is to serve and educate people of diverse backgrounds through sisterhood, leadership and guidance. As positive role models, we promote unity of all cultures, focus on the empowerment of our gender and raise the standards of excellence in our academic, social, and personal endeavors. OPBSI envisions a world without oppression, where empowered women celebrate the essence of womanhood and act as resources in the advancement of their communities. For more information visit: www.OmegaPhiBeta.org
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