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DKG Practice/Program

• Volunteering in kindergarten through Grade 3 classrooms as directed by teachers.
Along with our goals for supporting and volunteering at the school, a final facet of the project focused
on goals for Omega Chapter. These chapter membership goals were inspired by the Society’s Purposes
(DKG, 2022). In particular, Purposes 6 and 7 were addressed. Goals embedded in the design of the project
included offering multiple ways to get involved and providing educational opportunities to the chapter.
With our focus placed on the school project, however, we did not make these chapter goals visible
to members (an oversight). We planned diverse ways to get involved, such as a fabric-cutting workshop,
donations, new leadership positions, and volunteering. We also planned three educational opportunities:
a preliminary informational meeting in April, a volunteer workshop after the August brunch, and an
informative culminating presentation by Dr. Warner (principal) in December. The hidden chapter goals
may explain why 61% of Omega Chapter survey respondents, at the end of the project, were not able
to answer the question regarding what they thought Omega Chapter got out of this project. Thirty-nine
percent of respondents, however, offered helpful feedback, such as they appreciated having the opportunity
to volunteer in an area of their own expertise. Survey respondents mentioned that it was very satisfying to
be able to help individuals or small groups of children who needed extra help. One member indicated that
she really felt a part of the [Omega Chapter] group by getting engaged in the project.
As a culminating event, the principal provided a high-quality keynote presentation at a chapter
meeting that included socio-cultural and economic impacts on education at the school. Teachers from the
school who attended our meeting shared personal anecdotes about the school as part of the program. The
informative program provided by the principal
and teachers helped us meet chapter educational
goals. Dr. Warner’s presentation also left us
feeling optimistic about the future: new data
demonstrate that teaching interventions at the
school are having a positive impact on student
outcomes.
Along with the project offering us ways to
grow both professionally and personally, we
gained chapter exposure by sending invitations
(with our DKG Mission included) to all teachers
at the school. We benefitted as a chapter through
the presence of project-related guests: the school

Omega member Ellen Collins works with a small group principal, two teachers, and a student teacher. Our
of third graders in language arts. chapter gained strength in developing a positive
relationship with the school and the district
because of this project. Teachers and the principal asked that we return to the school to volunteer beyond
project culmination. True, Omega Chapter was strong before project implementation. Now, however, we
have evidence of our strength and at least one valuable tool—conducting a chapter project—to keep our
chapter healthy and strong in the future.
Identifying the Power of a Chapter Project

My biggest worry about the project had been that few, if any, members would want to volunteer.
Many of our members are retired and may not be able to travel to a Title I school. Another deterrent to
volunteering was concern over exposure to illness. Happily, concerns over whether our members would
volunteer to leave the comfort and safety of their homes were ill-founded. Concerns gave way to 13
members who volunteered to fill 17 positions across all three facets of the project. In an informal request
for hours put into the project beyond volunteering at the school, a surprising number of volunteers reported

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