Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®
Gamma Rho Chapter
Jackson State University
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"Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated had its humble beginnings as the vision of nine college students on the campus of Howard University in 1908. Since then, the sorority has flourished into a globally-impactful organization of over 283,000 college-trained members, bound by the bonds of sisterhood and empowered by a commitment to servant-leadership that is both domestic and international in its scope.
As Alpha Kappa Alpha has grown, it has maintained its focus in two key arenas: the lifelong personal and professional development of each of its members; and galvanizing its membership into an organization of respected power and influence, consistently at the forefront of effective advocacy and social change that results in equality and equity for all citizens of the world."
-AKA International Website
About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated
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The Gamma Rho Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated was chartered on April 24, 1949 on the campus of Jackson College (now Jackson State University). The idea of organizing an Alpha Kappa Alpha Chapter on the campus of Jackson College was conceived by Melita Woodard, who was then the Administrative Assistant to Jackson State’s 5th President, Jacob Reddix. Her dream was to provide the student body with the outstanding contributions and activities of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. The charter for Gamma Rho was approved at the 40th Anniversary Boule in Washington D.C. in 1948.
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Gamma Rho has made numerous contributions and donations to Sunny Brook Children’s Home, Mississippi Children's Home Society, Stewpot, New Jerusalem’s Women’s Shelter, and various other establishments. The Gamma Rho Chapter has rendered time and service to volunteer at Genesis Food Bank, Bethlehem Center, Matt’s House, Stewpot, and Manhattan Nursing Home just to name a few. We have participated in the Susan G. Coleman Walk for a Cure, Breast Cancer Awareness, Cure Sickle Cell, Diabetes, and Asthma Preventions Programs. In 2000, the chapter formed an endowment fund in honor of Melita Woodard (Melita Woodard Endowment Fund). Gamma Rho sponsors an annual scholarship ball, The Melita Woodard Scholarship Ball, to recognize scholarship recipients.
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After 73 years, the Gamma Rho Chapter has continued to “blaze new trails” as leaders on the campus of Jackson State University and the entire sorority. We are about to "Launching New Dimensions of Service, Scholarship and Sisterhood."