With over 180 youth on our waiting list, BBBSAZ works with its amazing community partners like Alpha Phi Alpha to host “Big for a Day” activities to show potential volunteers what being a BIG is like and keep kids and their families engaged while they wait for their mentor.
“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established for Black college students, was organized at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, in 1906. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was born out of the desire for maintaining close association and unified support for members of this small minority group, in as much as they were denied, for the most part, the mutual helpfulness which the majority of the students attending their university regularly enjoyed.
The seven visionary founders at Cornell, Henry A. Callis, Charles H. Chapman, Eugene K. Jones, George B. Kelly, Nathaniel A. Murray, Robert H. Ogle, and Vertner W. Tandy, labored in the years of severe economic struggle and racial conflict in the United States. Despite their difficulties of life, the early pioneers succeeded in laying a firm foundation and remained steadfast in their goals pointing towards the development of the Fraternity’s membership – which are the espousing of the principles of good character,sound scholarship, fellowship, and the uplifting of humanity, especially the struggling Black population around the world.
Because of the needs of the national black community and the organization’s commitment to positive social change, Alpha Phi Alpha began to involve deeply into social reform and education. The “Go to High School – Go to College” campaign of the 1920’s and 1930’s established Alpha Phi Alpha as a scholarship organization. The struggle for equality and for raising the level of consciousness and mobility were heightened by the involvement of such brothers as; W.E.B. Dubois, Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King jr., Jesse Owens, David Dinkins, Dick Gregory, Hope Franklin, to name a few.
The Fraternity has grown steadily in influence throughout the years. It integrated its racial membership in 1945 and it has expanded to the extent that there are now over 150,000 Alpha Men 800 chapters located throughout the U.S., Caribbean Islands, Africa, Asia, and Europe.”
The men of the Delta Tau Lambda chapter are no exception and are setting the bar high. Not only are they stepping up for the kids in the community with BBBSAZ but are also putting programs into place to support families and develop tomorrow’s leaders. A huge thank you to everyone that joined us at our new office to make our “Big for a Day” with Alpha Phi Alpha a huge success! This couldn’t be done without your support, thank you to Brothers Foggie, Waller and Bond for coordinating the event and a special thank you to Brothers Boyd & Swanson for delicious food from Kravin’s Food Truck!
Delta Tau Lambda’s “Go to High School- Go to College” program is relaunching Saturday, May 6, 2023.
If you would like to attend this event or have any questions, please contact DTLPROGRAM@PHOENIXALPHAS.ORG
For more information about BBBSAZ or how to become a Big- register for an online information session HERE
Interested in hosting your own event with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona?
Contact Patrick Phillips at Pphillips@bbbsaz.org
Learn more “Alpha phi alpha- A brief History” Phoenix Alphas.
