Thank you guys for all your help! My dad said my mom is really excited about the idea of AI right now, and he's excited for her. My mom could really use something like this in her life- she and my dad have a great relationship, but my dad has his own circle of Harley riding friends (my mom has a lot of friends, but only a few close ones). With my brother living 400 miles away and the possibilities of me going just as far or further away, I think she might get horribly lonely. Not to mention, her own blood sister has about 13 grandkids and 3 great-grandkids (my mom has none yet... and not counting on it for a long time, lol), so she doesn't have quite as much of a connection with her sister as she used to.

I think I'll try to get my mom out to the first few alum events of the year and see how she likes it. She knows a lot of our alums all ready (from hosting chapter events at my house, Parents Days, helping me plan events, etc), so I think she'd love it- and I hope so!

I'll keep you guys updated. If you have any other advice, please let me know!

Carol

PS: Kathleen- great minds think alike! :)

I have a friend that I want to approach about DG AI. She would be a fabulous addition to our sisterhood. She had a disastrous rush at a southern school back in the late 80s. Her older sister was in a top GLO at UT. She is well versed in collegiate greek life, am not sure she sees the benefit of alumnae greek life.

Have been searching for a way to bring it up to her for awhile.

You could go one of two ways:

1. If you have a group of Sisters in the area, invite her along to meet them and then get a reaction.

2. Just plain come out and ask Her.

Can give maybe one of two answers, Yes or No!

Hey Gphiangel624 ,


I think its a great idea---go for it!!! :D

Mich

I just wanted to say a big "Thank you" to all who have given info on this matter. For the longest time I have wished my mother could join a sorority. Due to personal reasons she was never able to go to college. We've talked about it a lot, and she's told me on many occasion that she's saddened that she couldn't attend college nor join a sorority. I know many times my mother lives through me because she was never able to live out that dream of hers. To top it off, her closest cousin went to my college years ago and was a Tri-Delt here. I bought her the Pi Phi mother's pin to give her a small taste of my affiliation.

I think it's time I give her some AI info. :)

Pi Phi does have AI info right on their website.... :)
http://www.pibetaphi.org/alumnae/alumn_initiates.html
These 2 links are from the "old website" but I still wanted to include them
http://www.pibetaphi.org/pub/focarch2.htm
http://www.pibetaphi.org/alum/alinitiates.htm

Thank you Cutie Pie for all the great comments. :) I am happy to chat -- via email -- with anyone seriously interested in Gamma Phi Beta AI either for herself or for her mom, sister or whoever. I emphasize the "seriously" because a few unnamed GC PNAMs have emailed me about Gamma Phi AI but they let me know they were also considering other GLO's.

Regarding moms & AI: About 7 years ago, I talked to my mom about it and she said okay -- she was excited. She had never completed college -- instead she got married to my dad before her freshman year ended. She did go thru rush while she was at college and she told me she would have pledged a sorority had she stayed in college. Well I was hoping to have her initiated into my chapter. Unfortunately, one of my biological sisters got Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma during her pregnancy and passed away 2 years after being diagnosed. My mom's heart was just not into sorority stuff after that....until my youngest biological sister pledge Theta! Now we argue about which GLO my mom should be AI'd into and my mom just holds up her hands and says Girls, stop arguing! Sigh! :rolleyes: When I go back home for Christmas I think I will seriously ask her again about Gamma Phi AI.

Here is how I approached my son's teacher last year about becoming a Gamma Phi AI -- I created a little "propaganda" flyer about Gamma Phi and why it was such a great sorority to belong to etc etc...it just so happened that four other alums in our alum chapter here also knew her and said they enthusiastically supported her becoming an AI. But none of us really knew how she'd respond. So I set an appt & met with her when I knew she had some time (the kids were in P.E.) and I gave her the flyer as I told her that Me and Joan and Sarah and Larkie and Suzanne all want you to be a sister in Gamma Phi Beta. I even had all these Gamma Phi magazines to show her - esp the one with the cover of the President of Ohio State (where she got her Masters degree) - who is a Gamma Phi! I was all set to do the hard sell! Well, I only got a few words out and she wouldn't let me finish --she jumped up from her seat and said Yes Yes Yes!!! It was wonderful! I did her "pledge" training along with CLUEY from GC --(she flew in from Jacksonville).

There is indeed a folder that Gamma Phi AI candidates get after their initial paperwork is sent in -- that paperwork is signed by the alum chapter and the collegiate chapter where the initiation will eventually take place. The folder has info about Gamma Phi and the services/benefits of membership, but it is not real detailed. For the "pledge" training, our wonderfully huge history book is sent to the AI candidate and the test (open-book) is taken from there. I usually do a three hour training session with the AI candidates.

I am a HUGE supporter of AI!

Geeky Penguin and I have talked already about her mom -- whom I personally think should be initiated at our next convention in nearby Chicago next July -- hint hint!) and gphiangel624, please email me if you want OK?

gotta go -- my fingers hurt!

;)

Wow... Just a thought I'd never considered... What if your mom pursued AI with a different group than your group?! :eek: I am a only child so I guess it would be a little more hurtful than Cele's case (if her mom chose Theta for whatever reason at least she could justify it some, through her sister) but gee... I mean, I know we always encourage PNM legacies to follow their hearts... But for me, I think it would be even harder with my mother than my (future) daughter.

UPDATE!
 

Hey there! So today was Bid Day for my collegiate chapter and I attended with a bunch of other alums, including the collegiate and alumnae chapter presidents (spent the whole weekend with both, helping with recruitment). The collegiate chapter advisor brought the official alumnae packet for me to give my mom and she's even more stoked now! If everything goes right, I'll be sponsoring her and she'll initiate with the new members of Delta Lambda chapter in January, and another sisters' mom as well! YAY!!!!

Re: UPDATE!
 

Yay for you! I think my mom is coming to the next alumnae function with me. I still don't really know anyone at school and I think she appreciates that I have Gamma Phis who are there for me.