Philanthropy History
In 1894 at the 13th Convention, members first started to ask questions about Alpha Phi's philanthropy. At that time members decided they should pursue their own charities. At the 1946 convention in Quebec the topic of philanthropy was again raised. During World War II many philanthropy projects had been successful at the international level. "...Wartime projects were very successful and had given us an idea of what we could do as a unified whole," wrote Catherine Wilson Storment, the first cardiac aid chairman, in the 1947 Winter Quarterly. It was now time to decide what to do when then war was over.
Rheumatic fever, which damaged the heart, was at that time a leading cause of death in school age children. Alpha Phi wanted to help those children, but also wanted contribute to other programs as well. Cardiac aid was the perfect solution. During the next few decades and with the advancement of medicine and antibiotics, rheumatic fever became rare. Heart disease became the #1 killer of women in North America, and the Alpha Phi Foundation thought it fitting that an organization of women help fight the disease.
Since 1946, Alpha Phi has donated more than $1 million to support cardiac care.
Our Foundation
In 1956 Alpha Phi became the first women's Fraternity to establish a Foundation. It's original focus was scholarships, fellowships and
providing suitable housing. Today the Foundation provides support for cardiac care and research, scholarships, aid to women in need
through the Forget-Me-Not and Emergency Aid Funds, and grants to the fraternity for leadership training and educational programs.
The Alpha Phi Foundation is Alpha Phi's philanthropy.
