think pink think zeta
Throughout each semester, Zeta Tau Alpha at Georgia Tech supports our national philanthropy, strengthens relations with other Greek organizations through philanthropy, and prioritizes time participating in external community service.
Our chapter hosts many events to support our national philanthropy, Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. Every spring semester we host our annual Strawberry Festival where we raise over $15,000 by selling strawberries. We host Think Pink Weeks every semester to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer. In addition, we support GT baseball, football and basketball by hosting/attending Pink Out games. In the fall of 2018, we started a Rumble For the Ribbon event where people on the GT campus pay to create teams and compete in a flag football competition. The money raised at this fun event all goes to our national philanthropy! We also focus on philanthropy outside of Breast Cancer Education and Awareness by hosting sandwich making, card crafting, and education presentation events, many times with other Greek organizations around campus.
Individually, our members invest in many external philanthropies as well. Collectively, our women completed over 250 hours of work with For The Kids, 140 hours with BOPSOP, and 110 hours with "The whY", in addition to hours spent volunteering for many other organizations.
What our philanthropy means to us..
When going through formal recruitment, philanthropy day stood out to me since the honest, pure passion for giving back is one of my key values. I was seeking something where I could see the tangible impact of my efforts, and I loved how genuinely passionate the sisters in Iota Theta were about making a difference. It felt very authentic and aligned with what I cared most about. Although not every sister possesses their own unique experience with Breast Cancer, it was clear the looming statistic of 1 in 8 women being diagnosed with Breast Cancer united them in a shared commitment to raise awareness and to drive meaningful change.
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness has always been a deeply personal cause for me, as my own familial experience with it has molded my perspective and strengthened my initiative. My grandmother, who did not have access to the knowledge or resources to educate herself on Breast Cancer signs and early detection, unfortunately, passed due to the late diagnosis and progression of the disease. This loss intensely impacted my mother and became a sweeping force behind my mother’s formidable commitment to education and awareness, not just for herself, which ultimately played a crucial role in saving her own life. For both separate and exclusive diagnoses of Breast Cancer, my mother was able to identify them early on due to her regular self-exam schedule. My mom is my best friend, my confidant, and my partner in crime—the person who knows me better than anyone else and has shaped me into who I am today. I quite literally wouldn’t be here without her, not just because she gave me life, but because she’s stood by me through every hardship, offering unwavering support, love, and strength when I needed it most.
She was thrilled when I shared Zeta Tau Alpha’s philanthropy with her and continues to show her delight via active participation in ZTA’s philanthropic work. Her favorite event is our Think Pink Week in the fall semester, as for two years in a row, she has been in attendance at our Think Pink Gala which brings her so much joy and contentment to see the lovely sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha, Iota Theta Chapter, gather together to celebrate, support, and raise awareness for such a meaningful cause.
ZTA’s philanthropy, to me, is more than just raising funds–it’s a personal and profoundly meaningful connection to a cause that has impacted my family and shaped my values. It represents hope for 1 in 8 to transition to none in 8, empowerment to the 4 million plus women in America who have a history of battling Breast Cancer, and the opportunity to make a difference in so many family’s life as Breast Cancer Education and Awareness has to mine. Being a part of a sisterhood that shares this passion and channels it into action makes me feel not only inspired but also grateful, knowing we are working toward something bigger than ourselves.
Zeta Love and Mine,
Sarah Treusch
Our philanthropy allows us to invest in something much greater than ourselves. Breast cancer is a personal cause that has marked the lives of far too many. But here at ZTA we aim to reduce its reach in any way we can through our philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness.
While a major part of our philanthropy and service is fundraising at Iota Theta we aim to extend beyond this and promote awareness on a more personal level. As VP of Philanthropy, I’ve been excited to help start a new initiative: a breast health clinic where any woman in the GT community is invited to our house to learn how to perform a self-breast exam and learn about the indications of breast cancer. Beyond that, we also table and pass out ribbons, have pink out basketball, baseball and football games, chapter talks from women within the GT community and many other breast cancer awareness events during Think Pink Week.
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lives. Many of us know someone who has been affected and that’s why I believe we are so passionate about our cause. It is so inspiring to see how far we’ve come, and I can’t wait to see what more amazing things chapter will do.
Sincerely,
Shannon Foley
To me, Zeta's philanthropy means using our strengths to support women in the fight against a challenging and exhausting disease, in any way we can. Every act of kindness, every effort to educate — no matter how small — has the potential to impact someone enduring a relentless and deadly battle. Together, we are not just raising awareness — we are inspiring change, one gesture of compassion at a time. To be a Zeta is to be part of a greater hope, working toward a future where the statistic of 1 in 8 diagnoses is reduced to none in 8.
Love,
Lilli Apt