Photos of Tri-Delta's Community Service Activities

Photos of Tri-Delta's Philanthropy Event - Fashion for Life

Children's Cancer Charities is Tri Delta's National Philanthropy, adopted in 1974, supporting pediatric hospitals with the focus on cancer in children, oncology (the study of tumors) and hematology (dealing with blood) research and treatment. Tri Delta philanthropies have always emphasized children, cancer and hospitals, and are unique because they allow each chapter to find and fill a need in its own community.

The Gamma Rho Chapter has continually united together to support Children's Cancer Charities. Our chapter displays fashion compassion by staging "Fashion for Life", an annual charity fashion show for children's cancer research. Last year the show raised almost $3,000.00 for the Children's Cancer Research Division of the Los Angeles County Medical Hospital. We have also put on other events like Karaoke for Cancer. We create ornaments for the children at Christmas time and during Rush we threw a party called "Faces of Hope". The girls painted smiling faces on pillowcases for the children.

Children's Cancer Charities helps support cancer camps for children, "special wish" programs for the terminally ill, guest homes and programs for families of cancer patients; adopt "special children" with cancer to fulfill their needs, and offer local scholarships for recovered patients who wish to attend college.

Tri Delta chapters give thousands of hours of their time each year helping in hospital pediatric wards, entertaining the children, babysitting their siblings while their parents are involved with treatment, staffing blood banks and sponsoring blood donor drives for leukemia patients, who need large quantities of blood. They also sponsor parties for children with cancer, celebrate holidays with them and their families and cook holiday meals for families unable to celebrate at home while their children are in the hospital for treatment.

When the Children's Cancer Charities program began in the 1940's, most children who suffered from cancer did not recover. In 1974, the survival rate for children with cancer stood at 30%. Progress made it possible by research and treatment successes since then have brought the survival rate to 80% in 1998. Resources now must be focused on the 20% of children who are not currently cured and on the reduction of treatment-associated toxicities, complications and financial costs for the 80% who are cured. Although cure rates are up, so also are incidence rates. Cancer is increasing in all age, racial and ethnic groups, especially in the 15-19 year olds. These adolescents and young adults rank second only to the oldest segment of the population in cancer incidence.