My story

On May 7th, 2002, I was born prematurely with severely underdeveloped lungs to a family from Southeastern Kentucky. We live almost two hours away from the nearest NICU, which is here in Lexington. My family was faced with an unimaginable amount of stress as they prayed for the health of their newborn baby, with the additional challenge of not having a place to stay near the hospital. The Bluegrass Ronald McDonald House alleviated a massive burden while my family focused on what truly mattered; being together during a difficult time.

My mother recounts that one of the most difficult days of this chapter was Mother’s Day, only five days after I was born. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to separate a mother from her newborn baby, especially on the one day a year dedicated to celebrating motherhood. A group of volunteers delivered a flat of flowers, which was exactly the encouragement and community support she needed during this difficult time. Thank goodness, the UK ADPi’s were there to care for my mother in 2002 in the same way that we care for the mothers staying at RMHC today.

My experience

Alpha Delta Pi brought my RMHC story full circle. Leadership and service are two invaluable experiences that my ADPi membership has given me. At the end of my first semester as a freshman, some of the older girls recognized my passion for giving back at the Ronald McDonald House and encouraged me to run for RMHC chair. This first taste of leadership revealed a newfound passion. The opportunity to implement service ideas with a group of over 250 eager-to-serve sisters enabled our organization to do wonderful things for the sake of keeping families close. This includes fulfilling Wish List items for the house, sending care packages for the families and staff, and ensuring that the guests always have a home-cooked meal on the table.

I continued my RMHC experience as the Director of Philanthropy and continue to serve on the RMHC Special Events Committee. As the Director of Philanthropy, I had the opportunity to plan large-scale fundraising events which significantly contribute to the Bluegrass RMHC operating costs. We take pride that our chapter's philanthropic contributions consistently total over $25,000 annually; Internationally, ADPi donates over $1.5 million annually to this wonderful organization.

Service with RMHC is a significant part of the ADPi experience. The values and traditions of service and sorority instill a strong sense of social responsibility and the desire to give back to others in our members. This hands-on involvement helps to build a sense of community and makes a real and tangible difference in people's lives. I am so grateful for the opportunities ADPi has provided to get involved with this outstanding organization. I know that service with RMHC will be an aspect of this sisterhood that I will continue to be a part of long after graduation.