Staff Reports

The Gamma Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Kappa Inc. conducted a kickoff meeting of its 2020-21 fundraising season Aug. 18 at Fraternal Order of Police Donald M. Winn Lodge 108 in Seymour.

This was an important meeting as the organization had to tackle what type of fundraiser could be done in the fall in lieu of its annual cake walk booth at the Seymour Oktoberfest.

Based on anonymous survey responses from the members of the group prior to the meeting, the consensus was that a majority of the members would not feel comfortable baking cakes that would go out to the public and/or working a shift in the midst of the public, so in an effort to honor these desires, Tri Kappa will not be having a cake walk this year.

Some fundraiser ideas were brought to the floor during the meeting, and the group is excited to share more as these ideas are solidified in the coming month.

The sorority announced it will still have its annual fall pecan sale. The group is looking to make this a huge fundraiser to catch up on lost income for the philanthropy fund from the cancellations of the spring 5K/10K race and Oktoberfest.

The sorority encourages people to reach out to a member to place a nut order. The pecan sale will begin Sept. 15 and run through Oct. 13.

There also were several business items that needed to be handled during the meeting.

The first was the official voting in of the 2020-21 budget. The only changes made in the budget between the initial review at the June meeting and the recent meeting were a couple of adjustments due to membership statuses.

The next item was the official second reading, discussion and subsequent voting in of the organization’s proposed bylaw revisions. Tri Kappa chapters review and amend their bylaws every two years. This year’s revisions are of particular interest to the community at large as they adjust how the chapter will be receiving fund requests and how those funds will be dispersed pending any future emergencies this coming spring.

Here is a brief outline of the new philanthropy expenditure procedures:

Organizations wishing to be considered for a grant larger than $250 must contact the chapter via email, [email protected], and complete a request form no later than March 15.

Those requesting less than $1,000 will not be required to make a presentation to the chapter for its consideration.

Up to four groups requesting more than $1,000 shall be invited to present their project for funding at the May meeting.

If more than four requests are received, the chapter will vote at the April meeting to determine which organizations will be invited to present their requests.

Tri Kappa has a long history of supporting community, culture and education in Jackson County, and its goal is that these procedures assist the community in understanding the operations in a clearer fashion and offer a more streamlined disbursement process for the chapter of its philanthropy funds. Anyone with questions may contact the chapter by email.

The meeting concluded with a mini celebration of all of the members’ birthdays who were missed from the spring’s canceled meetings along with those happening in August, a thank-you to the social committee for planning a social distanced meeting and a farewell until the anniversary dinner meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at FOP Lodge 108.