In my case, it played a pivotal roll in my decision between two groups. Like DGMarie, both have collegiate chapters an hour away but with my schedule, it is not easy to be very active with them.
I had a lot of things going on in my life at that time and I did a tremendous amount of soul searching. I listed the pros and cons of each organization and I picked the one that best suited my needs and wants. I had already decided that whichever group I chose that I would give 110%. This process took about a year maybe even a little more. I decided that I needed a close support group and that it wouldn’t due to be a member-at-large. If I had been a collegiate member then at-large-membership wouldn’t have been a big deal or even if I didn’t have such deep things going on in my life.
I absolutely adored Group #1 and was a breath away from submitting my application. It was typed up and in the envelope. All I needed to do was mail it when a thought hit me. I worked with some of Group #1’s national officers through my local sorority and met a few of their local alumnae. However, there was no alumnae chapter either organized or meeting informally. There was talk of getting together informally but it never came to pass. I loved working with collegians but I was ready for that next phase of membership. Group #2, on the other hand, has a very active and vibrant AC that is celebrating its 87th anniversary this year. I am so proud to be this chapter’s vice president. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be to be a Group 1 member, but I know that my home and my heart are with AOII.
Gee, am I long winded or what?
