For more than four decades, the Little Rock Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. has groomed outstanding black male high school seniors with a program that culminates in an evening of showcasing their accomplishments and their talents -- and awarding them scholarships.
The Delta Presents Scholarship Program is still all that -- but, now, much more. The chapter has partnered with the Delta Presents Outreach Foundation, the fundraising arm of the sorority, to not only identify these young men earlier to give them a push toward success, but to also find former honorees and ask them to reach back and lend a helping hand.
On April 29, a new class of honorees -- 38 strong from Pulaski County schools -- will be highlighted and receive awards and scholarships under the co-chairmanship of Gwen Glasco and Nicole Robertson.
Rose Barnes and Mary Robinson Guinn hope some of their future accomplishments will come as members of the Delta Presents Alumni Association, whose startup the women are spearheading under the umbrella of the foundation. It is open to all men who have been honored by Delta Presents from 1974 to now.
"The young men who are being inducted this year will ... automatically become a part of the alumni association," Barnes says. "We want the past young men who have been in the Delta Presents to come back and help us mentor all the young men starting in their adventures, going through college, learning how to be young businessmen."
TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN ...
Alumni Association members will be asked to pay dues on a yearly or lifetime-membership basis; participate in other volunteer activities and help the foundation build up its scholarship fund. An alumni hall of fame event is being planned for Nov. 17.
"While we have provided scholarships on an annual basis," Guinn says, "we want to provide as many scholarships as possible, because we now know that there's a rising cost to a college education. We know that we are increasing the numbers of young men that are going to college these days.
"We also want to extend the expectations that we have for the young men that we have worked with" by having them bond with one another, personally and professionally, and mentor those following in their footsteps, Guinn continues. "We want them to have a similar commitment to that of those of us who are members of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. .... a lifetime involvement of working with young men in the greater Little Rock area."
Arkansas residency is not required for association membership. Notable past honorees include Darrin Williams, chief executive officer of Southern Bancorp Inc.; state Rep. Eddie Armstrong (D-North Little Rock); Frank Scott, Little Rock mayoral candidate; and television writer and producer Brian Egeston, whose credits include The Quad, Mann and Wife and The Rickey Smiley Show.
"We've had a couple of mixers where a couple of men have come out and shown their interest ... in trying to get this alumni association off the ground," Barnes says. "And they all agreed that they want to do something.
"There is a need for one brother to go back to help another brother."
The association's formation process began with the Delta Presents 2017 culmination program, says Jannie Cotton, foundation board co-chairman, who's in charge of development.
... MUCH IS REQUIRED
"We inducted the last class ... into the first initial stage," says Cotton, who that evening read a pledge that the young men repeated before they received their certificates. "They were really happy." This year's honorees will do the same.
The 2018 class recently finished up a series of activities for themselves, and their parents, that began with the 2017-2018 school year. "We always say that Delta Presents is a process -- not an event," says Virginia Abrams, foundation board chairman.
The program kickoff was a September orientation during which sorority and foundation members share with parents, and the young men, what Delta Presents is all about as well as what is expected of them as participants. Following was a Parent Host Hour in October, and a January personal development seminar during which organizers brought in notable former honorees, or other notable men in the community, to share and network with participants. Also in January, about 11 honorees, along with several Deltas, participated in the West Central Martin Luther King Day of Service community cleanup. A March 3 Mothers' Brunch allowed moms of honorees to talk about their sons, share their expectations for them and prepare for them leaving the nest for college.
During the April 29 culmination event, the young men will be presented onstage and awarded certificates as well as scholarships. The evening's program traditionally includes performances by honorees whose talents extend to the arts. A number of musicians in the 2018 class have formed a Delta Presents band that will perform.
The Delta Presents program averages $20,000 per year in scholarships; the amount varies from year to year depending on donations. In 2016, the young men received $38,000 in scholarship money -- "that was our banner year," Abrams says. In 2017, $25,000 was awarded. Among the scholarships are those named for deceased sorority members, the largest being the $2,500 Sue Cowan Williams scholarship. Scholarships are merit-based; every honoree walks away with either a scholarship or a stipend.
Plans are also underway to start Delta Presents program activities earlier. Instead of waiting until the beginning of the school year to identify outstanding seniors, the committee chairmen this year are looking at the springtime identification of juniors. The foundation headquarters includes a counseling center in which honorees, prospective honorees and others can ensure their future success by conducting scholarship searches, receiving ACT test preparation/tutoring, receiving tutoring on writing scholarship-application essays and more.
Meanwhile, past Delta Presents honorees who want to help other young men succeed can register at Deltapresentsoutreach.org.
"Again," Guinn says, "our goal is to provide scholarships to young men for now and for years to come and to encourage them to continue the lifetime of service to their communities -- no matter where they live, and no matter what their chosen professions, but to understand that we have partnered with them so that they can partner with others."
"Celebrating the Past: Stepping Into the Future," the 45th Delta Presents Scholarship Program, will be presented by the Little Rock Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Delta Presents Outreach Foundation Inc. at 5 p.m. April 29, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Theatre of Performing Arts, 2801 S. University Ave. Ticket are $30 adults, $15 students. All proceeds go to the foundation. Visit ticketleap.com.
High Profile on 03/25/2018