Life is Precious - Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well
and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty
they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride …”
Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All”
Greetings from
the International
Grand Basileus
Soror
Joann Loveless
22 nd International
Grand Basileus
I believe most would agree that the greatest determiner of our future is our
children. They are precious gifts from God for which the rest of us have
been giving the responsibility of their care, training and direction. That
responsibility may be direct in the form of parenting or other familial
relationships or indirect as would be the case of social workers, child
advocates and leaders and/or supporters of medical research and public
policy regarding children issues.
I see Sigma Gamma Rho as filling both roles and as such we must ensure that
we are stay constantly abreast of issues that have the potential to negatively
affect our children and work to develop and/or support solutions. With this
in mind, I ask that you pay close attention to the article “A Child’s Disease,
A Family’s Struggle” that includes very candid information about autism, a
complex developmental disability that can affect children during the first
five years of life and impacts the normal development of the brain in the
areas of social interaction and communication skills. Autism is four times
more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social
boundaries. Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect
the chance of autism’s occurrence. Autism is a new health and welfare focal
area for our sisterhood that you’ll be hearing much more about.
The importance of safeguarding our children is also the focus of our
partnership with Lionsgate Studios to promote the movie Precious: Based
on the Novel ‘PUSH’ by SAPPHIRE and more importantly to host a series
of community discussions across the nation on the emotionally charged
topics of child rape, incest, physical and mental abuse, etc., highlighted so
poignantly in the movie. While we are blessed that the horrific situations
depicted are not the norm, more of us have been touched by one or more
of these topics than most would ever believe. We must take a leadership
role in the prevention and the healing.
Another special feature in this issue is The Face of Teen Pregnancy, tying
in with our focus on Project Reassurance. Our new alliance with the
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is sure to
be invaluable to our efforts to address this problem. More will be shared
on this partnership in the coming months.
In the same vein, don’t forget the legacy portion of Project Reassurance:
assisting teens who become pregnant by ensuring that they secure proper
pre- and post-natal care.Consider this your official “call to arms” to take
an active role in supporting the 2010 March for Babies. A marked increase
in money raised and walkers will go a long way in our efforts to help the
March of Dimes save babies.
It is my hope that these features along with remainder of the body of work
which comprises this issue of The AURORA will encourage, enlighten and
most importantly, spur you to unprecedented levels of action that leave no
doubt that Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. is indeed Purposed for Service:
Reaching Inward, Upward and Outward.