Gamma Phi Beta - University of Kansas

SIGMA NEWS GAMMA PHI BETA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS • FALL 2020 O ver the summer, Sigma Chapter took many ac ons to ensure our chapter house is as safe as possible for the return of our members this fall. Our house director and alumnae volunteers have worked relessly and incorporated several changes to enhance the health and safety of our members. Early on, the house corpora on created a "COVID-19 Team" comprised of Susan Harper '69, Alison Digges Staniforth '75, Sheri Sigman Coffin '76, Brenda Press Harden '78, and Jill Remsberg McGee '79—they chipped away at many of the COVID-19 issues that needed to be addressed for Sigma Chapter. In addi on to a deep cleaning and many other house improvement projects (including a new air condi oning unit, oven, and a lot of maintenance work), Sigma has incorporated the following to combat the spread of COVID-19: • Installa on of a semi-permanent tent over south pa o/lawn for dining and mee ngs; • Installa on of new Plexiglass shield on food serving sta on; • Moved beds from sleeping dorms into rooms due to COVID-19; • Three small sleeping dorms were converted into rooms for 4 members (with beds); and • New Wi-Fi network to support virtual recruitment and increased online classes for members, and much more. Our live-in numbers were reduced to 63, which is a financial challenge. But the tradeoff of this lower number is a quaran ne area on the third floor, smaller numbers in each room, bathrooms, and common areas that are not stressed by a full house of members. We are hopeful that our smaller numbers, along with new air cleaning, food serving, and cleaning procedures, will help keep our members as safe as is reasonably possible during this pandemic. We also have policies in place requiring anyone who tests posi ve to move out un l they are cleared by a health professional to return. As you can see, it has been a busy summer, and we are grateful to everyone who has pitched in, researched, nego ated, and added their exper se to various areas. We are hopeful for a great year and will keep alumnae informed as situa ons evolve. In IIKE, Sigma Affiliated Corpora on Board SIGMA CHAPTER CAREFULLY PREPARES FOR FALL 2020 SEMESTER AMID PANDEMIC New Safety Precautions in Place to Mitigate Spread of COVID-19 W hen Carole Jackson Moreno '75 and her husband, Arte, became the owners of the Los Angeles Angels in 2003, they made more than a commitment to pu ng a championship- caliber baseball team on the field. Less than a year into their ownership, the Morenos showed Angels fans what they were all about when they established the Angels Baseball Founda on, which provides annual grants to educa on, health care, arts and sciences, and community- related youth programs in Southern California. Carole's work in the Southern California community hasn't gone unno ced by the organiza on that gave her a strong philanthropic spirit. That was confirmed when she received the Philanthropist of the Year Award from Gamma Phi Beta Interna onal this summer. "I was caught completely off guard and very honored. For the Gamma Phi Founda on to reach out to me was really special and very fla ering," Carole said. "I feel very fortunate to do what we do in the area of philanthropy. For someone else to recognize that, like Gamma Phi did, meant a lot to me." Carole and Arte's dedica on to educa on has also been on display through the Moreno Family Founda on. It has been very rewarding for Carole to help high-merit and high-need children con nue their educa on through scholarships they have established. "All of us are like-minded in the fact that we feel so lucky to help others. That's our focus," Carole said. "That's our goal. We'll just con nue to do that." Carole will always be thankful for how Gamma Phi Beta shaped the way she has lived her life. When Carole was going through recruitment, she felt an instant connec on with Debbie Reid Mountsier '74, who ended up becoming her Big Sister. The conversa on with Debbie put Gamma Phi Beta at the top of Carole's list and the rest was history. Knocking It Out of the Park with Philanthropy Carole Jackson Moreno '75 Named Philanthropist of the Year by Gamma Phi Beta International Girl Scouts of Orange County is one of the many programs that benefits from the Angels Baseball Founda on's charitable efforts. Carole Jackson Moreno '75 was selected as the Girl Scouts of Orange County's 2019 G.I.R.L. (Go-Ge er, Innovator, Risk-Taker, Leader) honoree. (Con nued on page 2)

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