Christmas Comes Early At Lefroy House
On Sunday, the Bermuda Alumnae Chapter (BAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., showered the residents of Lefroy House with festive gift baskets filled with all of their favorite teas, biscuits, jams and more. To spread the Christmas joy, BAC members were cheerfully dressed in Santa hats and sorority paraphernalia as they presented gift baskets to more than 20 residents at the seniors residence.
In 2008, the Bermuda Alumnae Chapter adopted Lefroy House in efforts to provide its residents with a dedicated organisation who would support them throughout the years. The goal is to participate in their monthly activities, which include Bingo, Karaoke and other games, while also catering to the needs of the residents. For instance, to cater to their dietary needs the gift baskets were tactfully stocked with an assortment of teas, biscuits, jams, various cheeses, fruit cups and footsies to keep their feet warm from the cold.
Karen Fox-Simmons, recreational therapist for Lefory House, said: “We are extremely grateful for the Deltas and what they’ve done for our residents. Since they adopted us, a group of representatives always shows up at our functions or family activities. The gift baskets were phenomenal and I know the residents are very appreciative –- they’re giving back to those who made our community what it is today. Nothing is ever done out of selfish needs, it’s always selfless and words cannot express our gratitude.”
Denise Riviere, President of BAC, commented: “It was really heart warming to see the resident’s faces light up when we presented the gift baskets and explained what was in them. Initially when we decided to adopt them, one of our Sorors was a resident there, but she moved. However, because we built such a rapport with all the residents we continued our commitment and you can tell they enjoy when we come around.”
The Deltas are not only assisting our senior this Christmas, but they have also teamed up with Salvation Army to feed the homeless once a month through their Soup on Wheels programme. In addition, while shoppers take advantage of late night shopping this Friday, you can grab a delicious cup of hot chocolate from the Delta GEMS, outside of City Hall. GEMS stands for Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully and these young ladies are raising funds to participate in an East Cost College Tour next fall.
Delta Sigma Theta is committed to providing assistance through established programmes in local communities around the world. The Bermuda Alumnae Chapter is one out of over 900 chapters existing in the United States, England, Japan, Germany, Virgin Islands, Bahamas and the Republic of Korea.
Other community service initiatives that the Bermuda Alumnae Chapter is involved in are: The Delta Gems Programme (a teen mentoring program for girls), The Crimson and Creme Secret Santa (anonymous gift-giving to needy families) and their Annual Children’s Reading Festival (a fun-filled family day encompassing all day reading activities). To volunteer with the Deltas and to find out more information please contact Denise Riviere on 333-1913.
