Mu Tau Mu of Alpha Chi Omega

On Tuesday, October 19th, the Domestic Violence Center of Cleveland hosts their 17th Annual Break the Silence Luncheon from 11:30am - 1:30pm at Windows on the River. 

Mu Tau Mu is proud and very excited to be able to sponsor two Alpha Chi Omega collegians to attend the event! Get your tickets here!

Melissa Moore, author of Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter is the luncheon speaker. 

From the event flyer: "Melissa G. Moore, the daughter of Keith Hunter Jesperson, a man infamously known as the Happy Face serial killer, shares her personal experiences of surviving domestic violence abuse and how she escaped the perpetual cycle of violence. As seen on Oprah and Good Morning America, Melissa provides strength and hope, encouraging women who blame themselves to retain their belief in their self worth and life purpose when facing adversity."

From amazon.com: "Throughout her life, Melissa Jesperson Moore had to hide her true identity. She had pretended that life was perfect after her parents divorced and she was suddenly uprooted from everything familiar and loving. She had to be silent, and to pretend not to be disturbed or upset by her father's actions. Those experiences prepared Melissa to hide the deepest, darkest secret of all. As she began making different choices, building a successful and loving life on her own, her heart began to fill with rays of hope, though she could never quite rid herself of the dark shadow of secrecy and shame. Then one day, her beautiful, innocent daughter looked into her eyes and said, "Mommy, everybody's got a daddy. Where's your daddy?" Shattered Silence is an astonishing, true narrative of personal and spiritual transformation. From her secret life as "the daughter of The Happy Face Serial Murderer" to a woman that bared her soul and inspired millions, Melissa leads the reader on the vulnerable, compelling, and sometimes very raw journey of what it took to shatter the silence, and claim her own life."

 See all the events DVC has planned for Domestic Violence Awareness Month here, and follow DVC on Twitter @DVCCleveland. Follow the author Melissa Moore on Twitter as well @missybeans.

This post comes to us from Erin, the VP-Fraternity Relations at Zeta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. I hope you’ll take a minute to make a purchase – love that we can support the collegians and domestic violence awareness at the same time! 

Spa Night at AXO-ZU

Hello Alumnae and Friends of Alpha Chi Omega
 
Zeta Upsilon has a fun Mary Kay fundraiser going on now through August 31.  Linn Keyes Walker, a friend of Maura (ZU '87), came to the chapter house on Saturday (8/21) and did makeovers for 20 undergraduates.  She is generously donating 25% of all sales back to the chapter to use for our Fall Date Party.  She left books for those who couldn't make it and has opened up online sales to alumnae and friends of the chapter.  
 
Linn has been a Mary Kay consultant for 27 years and is currently an Independent Senior Director with Mary Kay.  She wanted to remind everyone that Mary Kay is currently selling 3 Lipsticks that will also result in $1 of each sale going towards the Mary Kay Ash foundation which supports victims of domestic violence, a cause Alpha Chi Omega supports, as we all know.  The colors can be seen at her website but the names are Confidence, Compassion and Inspiration (click to go directly to each lipstick).
 
So come shop online with Linn at www.marykay.com/linnkeyeswalker.com  Buy a new lipstick, foundation, or moisturizer, and support Zeta Upsilon while looking beautiful.

All orders through August 31 will result in 25% being returned to the chapter.  All you have to do is mention Alpha Chi Omega in the comments box in part 3 of the checkout process.  All of Linn's information is below in case you prefer to contact her directly.
 
'Imagine Your Way to Beautiful'
Linn Keyes-Walker
Ind. Sr. Sales Director - Mary Kay Cosmetics
linnkeyeswalker@marykay.com
440-285-8117 / 1-800-597-2915
 
Shop With Me Online 24 / 7 at my website:
www.marykay.com/linnkeyeswalker

Thank you to CWRU Alpha Chi Omega alumna Michel ZU '84 for sharing this article she wrote about her recent Susan Komen for the Cure 3-Day experience. Check out our earlier post supporting her and the cause here. And, if you haven't already, please consider making a donation. Thanks!

Mikey (on right) on day 2 of the 3-Day

Zero to sixty in three days

by Michel Hodges

I live on E. 151st in the Shore Acres neighborhood and I recently had the privilege of walking 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure breast cancer walk held in Cleveland July 30th-August 1st. Yes I use the word "privilege" for many reasons. I feel privileged that I'm in good enough health to have done this walk. More importantly I feel privileged to have shared a weekend with some of the bravest, funniest, and well-dressed (hah!) people I'll ever meet.  Those people included my teammates on "Heart and Sole Sisters", Sherrie, Tobi, Linda and Theresa. Linda was diagnosed a year ago and is doing great. Theresa is a 2 time survivor and is 71 years old! You go girls! Most importantly I feel privileged to have raised part of the $2.5 million that was contributed right here in Cleveland to find a cure for breast cancer.

So why did I do this walk? Why did I spend a weekend in a little pink tent where the only toilets were the kind that get trucked away and you don't have to flush? Why did I spend a weekend assessing my feet every 2-3 miles in pit stops to tend to possible blisters? Why did I spend a weekend walking from downtown Cleveland to Bay Village to Berea in a ratty looking fushia pink wig wearing plastic baggies filled with ice as a fashion accessory around my neck? Because too many people I love have been stricken with breast cancer and I want to find a cure!

My family has been struck 3 times with this disease; my mom and 2 of her sisters. My mom managed to beat this disease not once but twice. My Aunt Kay was also a survivor but my Aunt Helen wasn't as fortunate. Friends who have had breast cancer include Bonnie and Judy. Judy is another angel watching from heaven but Bonnie is a survivor in every sense of the word. She just had her 1 year checkup and is clear, hooray! She and I were at the Home & Garden show in February when she spied the Susan G. Komen table and wanted to check it out. She sent away for information about the walk and gave me a DVD to watch. I cried through the whole thing and turned into a "Pink Warrior" that evening. 

Being a "Pink Warrior" involved attending a Getting Started meeting which I did March 16th. I think it was no coincidence that this meeting was the day before my Aunt Kay's birthday March 17th. At the meeting I learned more about what the Susan G. Komen foundation does and what would be expected of me.  

3-Day for the Cure net proceeds help pay for vital global breast cancer research and local community programs supporting education, screening and treatment. Komen for the Cure paid for half a million breast screenings in 2009—part of a nearly $1.5 billion commitment to research, advocacy and community programs since Komen was founded in 1982. 

My part in this was to raise $2300 for the Cure and walk 60 miles.  've been a bit lax in the exercise department over the years so this was a great opportunity to develop some good walking habits. Most of my training walks were done solo since I never knew when I was going to find time to walk but I did attend a couple of group walks. Susan G. Komen has developed a training schedule which I tried to follow and when I did my first 10 mile walk I was really psyched. I thought,  "Ok, I just did the first morning's mileage.  I can DO this!"

The fundraising part has been tougher than I thought it would be. As of August 3rd I've raised $1,466.00 and have until September 1st to raise the remaining $834. Any balance left at that point will be billed directly to me. I knew going in I would ultimately be responsible for any money not raised but I didn't let that possibility deter me from doing this. I believe so strongly in this cause that I'm confident the rest of the money will come in. I'm participating in the St. Jerome yard sale August 7th and will continue to solicit friends, neighbors and probably ask local businesses if I can do a "Pink Kettle" campaign at their doors. So I learned a good lesson for next year.  Start early and ask LOUDLY.

Yes I will definitely walk this again next year. It's amazing how quickly 60 miles goes by when you have fellow walkers to talk to and laugh and sing with. Fellow walkers included breast cancer survivors and people currently undergoing treatment. There was endless encouragement from people driving down the street honking at us and people in their front yards with candy, lemonade, and, my personal favorite, SPRINKLERS! We also had safety volunteers at busy intersections to make sure nobody got run over or turned the wrong way.  hey were dressed in pirate attire and gave plenty of high 5's. Great pirate jokes too! 

And if I did get tired or behind (like my team mate Tobi and I did Sunday because of a Dairy Queen stop) no problem.  There were vans to take us to the next pit stop. And these weren't just any vans! There was the Boob Marley's complete with reggae music and a palm tree growing from their back bumper.  The ladies in the  Bippity Boppity Boobs van treated us like princes and princesses.  The couple in Ta Ta Transport had yummy candy and fun pins. The Strike Out Cancer van was on a "roll" with bowling pins hanging from their bumper. Who wouldn't want to walk 60 miles with all this fun going on?

Make no mistake though. Finding a cure is no joke. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is the leading cause of death among women worldwide. More than 465,000 die from the disease each year. Somewhere in the world, a woman dies from breast cancer every 68 seconds. And this is not just a women's disease. For every 100 people diagnosed with breast cancer 1 is a man. The good news though is that when detected early the 5 year survival rate is 98%. And from personal experience I can tell you that the new digital mammography machines are WAY more comfortable than what has been used in the past. So don't put it off. Go get your mammogram! After that go to the Susan G. Komen website for more information about breast health and learn about their programs including the 3 Day Walk. I'd love to have you join us next year!

To make a donation on Michel's behalf you can do any one of the following:

*Online donations can be made by going to http://www.the3day.org/goto/Michel.Hodges

*Checks can be mailed to Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, PO BOX 660843, Dallas, TX 75266-0843.  Please note Michel's Participant ID# 5026631 on your check.

*Phone Donations can be made by calling: 800-996-3DAY

See the Alpha Chi Omega Songs page for a new addition to the musical fun - Scarlet Ribbons. It's third from the top of the page. Enjoy!

Thanks to our AXO Convention Choir Director, Audra, for the continuing catalog of downloadable music!!

We are pleased to announce that, thanks to our Alpha Chi Omega Convention Choir Director, Audra, we have twenty new songs and chants available in digital audio format for download on the Alpha Chi Omega songs page! See the new files here. Also available is the National Convention Songbook 2010 in PDF format. 

Enjoy!