In celebration of our 175th year and the anniversary of our partnership with Ronald McDonald House®, Alpha Delta Pi invited alumnae, collegians, and friends of ADPi to join sisters for our 8th annual Week of Service October 24 – November 1. The challenge? Choose at least one day to give back—whether supporting Ronald McDonald House or volunteering with another organization in their local community.
This year 71 events were held across 25 states, involving 36 alumnae associations and 10 chapters. Sisters cooked meals for families staying at local Ronald McDonald House Chapters, organized collection drives for schools and nonprofits, wrote letters of support to communities in need, knit warm blankets for children, and much more to honor the long-standing tradition of service within our sisterhood. See what our members had to share about this year’s Week of Service!
“The Fort Worth Alumnae Association has registered an event every year since Week of Service began. This year our primary event was Goodie Bags and Games with Gamma Chi. We reached a goal we have had for several years to partner with nearby chapter Gamma Chi—Texas Christian. For the event, we had alumnae and collegiate members meet at the chapter house and assemble 48 meal kits for the Ronald McDonald House® Greater Fort Worth. That was followed by an evening of Mahjong. Many sisters had never played, so an alumnae member and collegiate member taught us all the basics. It was a wonderful evening of service and sisterhood across generations.
We are fortunate to have a wonderful Ronald McDonald House very near the chapter and easy for alumnae to access. We enjoy supporting the house year round with wishlist drives and Baking Buddies events where we bake treats for the families. It means so much to give back to our community with our association members giving over 4,000 hours of volunteer service each year. Week of Service is a great opportunity to get connected to other sisters, and it can also provide an open door to learn about new ways and places to serve your community.”
– Leah Carnahan, TX Fort Worth Alumnae Association Philanthropy Chair
“This year, the Charlotte Alumnae Association decided to switch gears from our Annual Fall Festival to a week full of activities supporting Ronald McDonald House® Charlotte. Our past festivals were a blast, with families from the house and from the community joining in on the fun; however, it was an exceptional amount of work for only a few hours of enjoyment. This year we
wanted to find a way to support the house in what they truly needed. The week included one dinner crew, one cookie crew, one breakfast crew, and two activity nights.
Each day one of our board members was the team lead, with at least 25 sisters in total (both collegians and alumnae) who came to support the house.
When it came to creating the menu or activities for each volunteer day, we decided to center it all around Halloween. To kick off the week, two of our board members whipped up a fabulous Mexican taco casserole, accompanied with queso, salsa, and chips. Families all came back for seconds, so clearly it was a hit! Our cookie crew became more of a ‘spooky snack’ crew! They baked sugar cookies in the shape and color of candy corn, while also putting together ‘dirt cups’ of pudding, gummy worms, and candy eye balls. For our activity nights, we decorated tote bags that families could use as trick-or-treat bags and used glue and tissue paper to make decorative mason jar candles. From monsters, popular characters, and fall colors, kids, teens, and adults made a beautiful variety of crafts!
As the Director of Philanthropy, being able to support the families staying at Ronald McDonald House® Charlotte by truly being inside the house is one of my favorite things. Meeting the families, hearing their stories, and having fun with the little ones brightens everyone’s day.
I had never heard of Ronald McDonald House until I joined Alpha Delta Pi almost six years ago, and now I could not imagine not volunteering and supporting such a special cause. It is amazing that there are so many different ways to support the house too. Sometimes coming down to volunteer for a few hours is difficult to fit into a busy schedule, but you can always buy an item or two off their wishlist to donate! Overall, this Week of Service made a huge impact at the house, with families loving the meals, crafts, and socialization. We cannot wait to do something similar next year!”
– Lily Fremed, NC Charlotte Alumnae Association Director of Philanthropy
“For the 2026 Week of Service, the Northern Virginia Alumnae Association hosted a ‘House Refresh’ volunteer event at the Ronald McDonald House located in Vienna, Virginia. We kicked off our time with a tour of the house then worked as a team to assemble 75 grab-and-go snack kits along with 8 laundry kits for families. With the remainder of our time, we paired up and sanitizing all high-touch surfaces across the house—handles, door frames, windows, and lots of toys!
This Ronald McDonald House can accommodate up to 24 families that live at least three hours from the house and have a patient who is under the age of 22. Even after a recent renovation, their occupancy level remains at full capacity throughout the year. Many families are there for months at a time. It brings great joy to our group knowing that our efforts help make their stay a little easier and provide a sense of home away from home.
Volunteering for Ronald McDonald House has been a foundational activity for our group, and we have participated in every Week of Service since our inception in 2017. Over the years our activities have melded with the house’s evolving needs. Our early events began with sending out a recipe and a shopping list to an email group of local sisters. We showed up with a bag of ingredients and caught up with our sisters while we prepared a meal for the families staying there. During Covid we raised funds online to order Chick-fil-A for families and have it delivered to the house. We have also purchased items off of their wishlist to furnish rooms after their renovation effort, made take-home boxes for families upon checkout, and entered an application for a grant from the Ronald McDonald House® Endowment at the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation. We also did a larger joint project with another alumnae association and local collegians to paint a mural on their large trash surround—in azure blue of course! It was a special opportunity to have multiple generations serve alongside each other!
Given it has been several years since we have physically been inside the house, it was so important for us to reestablish our connection. This year many sisters said that they had lived in the area for several years and hadn’t known the Ronald McDonald House was here. Overall, it was so fun to serve alongside sisters, reminiscing about how we served Ronald McDonald House as collegians and how we can still make an impact and touch lives during difficult times through small acts of service.”
– Stephanie Powell, VA Northern Virginia Alumnae Association VP of Philanthropy
“Members of the Acadiana Alumnae Association did a Trunk or Treat event for the family and friends of ADPi alumnae. We wanted to do something that involved alumnae with small kids to outreach to sisters that cannot make our typical events (dinners, weekend meetings, happy hour). This was our first Week of Service event! The Theta Phi chapter sisters volunteered to help us put on the event. We also had games, a photo-op, costume contest, face-painting, and a bake sale.
As members of Alpha Delta Pi, continuing to give back to our philanthropy and to the Foundation throughout our life reminds us that we are called to unselfish service to mankind. Week of Service is the perfect opportunity to renew our promise to become well-balanced women in our community while also affording the opportunity to strengthen bonds within our sisterhood.”
– Angelle Dartez, LA Acadiana Alumnae Association VP of Programs and VP of Membership
Week of Service began in 2019 to mark the 40th anniversary of the partnership between Alpha Delta Pi and our philanthropic partner Ronald McDonald House. Every year, sisters find new ways to strengthen this partnership, bring together ADPi members from across the country, and recognize the personal impact of service. Week of Service runs annually each fall. To participate next year, look out for email newsletters from Alpha Delta Pi, check our website, reach out to your chapter/local alumnae association, or contact Executive Office at alumnae@alphadeltapi.com.
