Page 55 - 2022-Mag_88-4

DKG International Educators Foundation

Educated Women = Educated Family, the DKG chapter entered into an agreement
with the University of Nuevo Leon to provide tuition support to allow 10 young
women to continue their studies. Not satisfied to simply “gift” the funds, they
required recipients to participate in a mentorship program with DKG members and
to meet a 90/90 threshold to receive funds: maintain at least a 90% class attendance
and maintain at least a 90% academic average. The results: success for the students
and success for members who engaged as mentors and who also benefited from the
leadership training provided to the students as all involved engaged via technology
in the face of pandemic restrictions.
Last but not least, travel in your mind The scope of funded
back to the United States, this time some
30 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, projects ranges from
to the small city of Conway, where just over
8,500 students annually attend the University promoting excellence
of Central Arkansas (UCA). There, Dr. Gayle in education in a single
Seymour and members from across Arkansas
envisaged a project entitled I Count; Therefore classroom or a single
I Vote: Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Right
to Vote. The project started pre-pandemic, school to engaging with
but the outreach and activities had to pivot to a broad cross-section of
virtual formats. Originally designed to engage
communities that traditionally experience community.
barriers to voting—voters with accessibility
challenges, voters experiencing homelessness, and seniors—the project faced an
additional challenge during the pandemic that was not too big for the women artists
and members involved in the effort to overcome. Through coordinated efforts, the
UCA suffrage project took on many dimensions and engaged more than 11,000
attendees across multiple outreach workshops and public events, celebrating
the importance of the suffrage movement, raising awareness, and valuing the
voting process—and the role of women in the vote—both past and present.
Whether in West Texas, Nuevo Leon, or Central Arkansas, each year the
DKGIEF funds quality educational projects that impact community. Over time,
this support has come to total more than $3,300,000. The scope of funded projects
ranges from promoting excellence in education in a single classroom or a single
school to engaging with a broad cross-section of community. Some start out
with a goal to impact 10 women’s lives, while others, beyond even their own
expectations, reach 10,000 or more. No matter the original scope of the project, two
things remain constant: DKGIEF-funded projects target excellence in education,
and the ripple effects of the projects carry the impact forward to community.
The deadline to apply for project funding is March 1 of each year.
Whether you, your colleague, or your chapter has a vision for a project
promoting excellence in education, the DKGIEF encourages you to
move forward with intention and, where a link may exist, to consider
applying for funding support. Together, we make a difference!

Submitted on behalf of the DKGIEF by Dr. Lace Brogden, International First Vice President (2020-
2022) and member of the DKGIEF Board of Directors.

Collegial Exchange · 53