AAUO Chapter History - Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega

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History of our Journey to
Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter

In the late summer of 2018, eight sorority sisters who were true friends (Joan Clark, Gloria A. Coleman, Marcia Hayden, Debra Jackson, D.D. King, Mable King, Geneva (Jenny) Pettis-Hassell, Penelope Rahman) met to discuss the likelihood of chartering an AKA Chapter in the Village of Wellington. Each brought unique talents, skills, and deep community ties, and were appreciative of one another’s hard work ethic and camaraderie. With this start, responsibilities were divided among the sorority sisters and the plan began.

The initial step was to understand the application and approval process for becoming an interest group. Through her network, sorority sister Penelope (Penny) Rahman obtained this information which allowed us to begin the process. Sorority sisters with ties to others who had chartered a Chapter were contacted for guidance. Sorority sister Marcia Hayden had connections to local community leaders and contacted them. Sorority sister Debra Jackson gathered data utilized in accessing the target areas that could be served. Sorority sister Joan Clark was instrumental in record keeping and sorority sister D.D. King planned our sisterly relations activities.

L-R: Jenny Pettis-Hassell, Penny Rahman,

Debra Jackson, Marcia Hayden, Gloria Coleman,

Joan Clark, D.D. King, Mable King

Social Club

In January 2019, the original 8 sorority sisters under the leadership of Jenny Pettis-Hassell, officially launched the Crowned Pearls of Wellington Social Club. Sorority sisters with financial, technology, fundraising, and other related talents used them to expedite our first Meet & Greet with sorority sisters holding general membership or who were inactive in the sorority. This Meet & Greet was held on March 29, 2019 at the Wellington Shores club house with 20 interested sorority sisters attending.

The appointed Social Club officers were named as follows: Jenny Pettis-Hassell, President; Penny Rahman, Vice-President; Joan Clark, Secretary; Gloria Coleman, Treasurer; Bernita Cox, Financial Secretary; D.D. King, Sisterly Relations; Miranda Russell, Member-at-Large. Also attending were Board members: Monique Barbour, Colette Brown-Graham, Marcia Hayden, Alma Henry-Morman, Debra Jackson, and Mable King.

Soror Jenny Pettis-Hassell led us in developing a three-phased strategic plan that took us through the stages of Social Club, Interest Group and finally Chapter chartering. Over time, we succeeded in significantly growing our membership to over 50 members with expertise in the fields of medicine, law, business, education, social work, and more. All were committed to lending their time and talent in support of those less fortunate; working tirelessly to uplift those in need through volunteering.

Once the Social Club was formed, we became a community service partner with the Village of Wellington. We provided volunteer services on Annual Food Drives, Holiday Toy Drives, Back-to-School Backpack Events, and served as mentors to students participating in the Village of Wellington’s Students Working to Achieve Greatness (SWAG) Program.

Simultaneously, we worked to demonstrate our capability to organize and operate as a Social Club. Once confident in our ability to operate as an organization, we moved forward with a request to establish an AKA Interest Group in hopes of one day being approved to be an official chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Interest Group

In December 2019, we applied to become an AKA Interest Group. We also requested to continue the use of the name “Crowned Pearls of Wellington” to maintain continuity of identity with the community we had begun to serve. The Crowned Pearls of Wellington Interest Group was the first African-American organization to actively involve itself in community service in the Village of Wellington, Florida.

As an Interest Group, we supported the International Organization’s Program Targets that included historically Black Colleges and Universities, Women’s Health and Wellness Initiatives, The Arts, Global Impact Initiatives, and Building Economic Legacy.

The Village of Wellington along with the smaller surrounding municipalities of Royal Palm Beach, The Acreage, Loxahatchee Grove, Western Lake Worth, and Westlake have all grown significantly and are part of our target service areas. Collectively, these municipalities provide the opportunity to partner with them on a plethora of community outreach, community services, and program activities designed to address the needs of those less fortunate. There continues to be a tremendous opportunity to positively impact the lives of African Americans and other minorities living in underserved communities through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated Targeted Programs.

After a successful visit by Alpha Kappa Alpha South Atlantic Regional Director Carolyn G. Randolph, approval was granted to begin operating as an Official Interest Group in February 2020 and to continue the work of providing volunteer support to the Village of Wellington and surrounding communities.

The elected officers of the Interest Group were as follows: Geneva Pettis-Hassell, President; Alma Henry-Morman, Vice President of Programs; Marcia Hayden, Vice President of Operations; Joan Clark, Secretary; Debra Jackson, Treasurer; Bernita Cox, Financial Secretary; Cynthia Bostic Ellick, Corresponding Secretary; Monique Babour, Public Relations Officer; Colette Brown-Graham, Chaplain; Mable King, Hostess; D.D. King, Sergeant-at-Arms; Valerie Ford, Membership Chairman; Gloria Coleman, Member-at-Large, Miranda Williams-Russell, Audit Committee Chairman.

The appointed officers of the Interest Group were as follows: Anisha Henry, Parliamentarian; Penelope Rahman; Chartering Chairman.

In collaboration with the Wellington Rotary Club and the Village of Wellington Department of Community Services, we were exclusive partners on Feeding South Florida. We contributed to the Grab-and-Go Pantry at local hospitals to support the Health Care Workers on the frontlines of the COVID-I9 Pandemic. In addition, we participated in volunteer efforts on other food drives, holiday toy collections, backpack giveaways, voter registration initiatives, restorative rights for felon’s initiatives, and advocating for social justice. Thousands of families benefited from our support. As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we ceased direct participation and began to perform program activities virtually.

As protests around the country began, the Village of Wellington experienced its own protest concerning the death of George Floyd. The Crowned Pearls of Wellington were instrumental in holding discussions with the Village of Wellington Mayor and Council Members on addressing the concerns community members were raising. Those discussions resulted in hiring a consultant that Geneva Pettis-Hassell recommended. Today, an internationally known consultant helps to strategize how to create a community where all residents feel a sense of belonging. The presence of the Crowned Pearls of Wellington Interest Group's active involvement enabled this to happen.

Under the guidance of sorority sisters Alma Henry-Morman and Marcia Hayden, we have committed a significant amount of time to the Village of Wellington’s SWAG Program lead by Community Service Director, Paulette Edwards. The SWAG program offers college prep support to Wellington Community and Palm Beach Central High School students as they prepare for college and trade schools. The Interest Group SWAG committee members played a significant role in the design and implementation of this program. We partnered with Premier Health Systems and the Village of Wellington to expand and double the opportunities for paid internships. We also supported other local community initiatives.

A successful fundraising activity in conjunction with Smiles & Vision Foundation, Inc. was conducted in November 2020 where the Crowned Pearls of Wellington Interest Group lead by sorority sister Gloria Coleman raised funds for program activities.

Over time, we demonstrated our capabilities to the International Organization for subsequent evaluation to determine if we had met the standards for Chapter operations approval. In February 2021, we were officially approved to become a chartered chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In preparation for our chartering, sorority sisters Penny Rahman (Chartering Chairman), Valerie Ford, Debra Jackson, Mable King, and their committees along with the entire Interest Group membership worked tirelessly to prepare for chartering.

Chartered Chapter

On June 6, 2021, Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter was officially chartered with 52 members and presided over by Regional Director Carolyn G. Randolph. The ceremony was held at the Village of Wellington Community Center.

Immediately following the Chartering, the first business meeting of Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter was held with South Atlantic Regional Director, Carolyn G. Randolph, presiding. A motion for the current officers of the Crowned Pearls of Wellington Interest Group to continue in their roles in the newly chartered chapter until November 2021 was passed. These individuals were duly installed, by the South Atlantic Regional Director, as the first officers of Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter.