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Hello, everyone! From all of us here at International, happy Founder’s Day! We hope your celebrations are full of fun, friendship, and great food.

2016 International Convention I want to remind you to save the date for the Beta Sigma Phi International Con-vention in Kansas City, Missouri, August 4-7, 2016. That’s the 85th Anniversary of sorority, and we want to celebrate in style. Although we realize not everyone has the freedom to make a long trip, we’re keeping costs as low as possible, and remember – for many of us, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to con-nect with sisters from all over the globe. You can learn all the details as we have them on our web site – just go to the Members Only or Announcements section. There, you can learn about how to pre-register, about special travel discounts, and more. There will be plenty for husbands and Envoys to enjoy, what with NCAA and NASCAR facilities close by. We’re also working on some charming gifts for at-tendees, a jazz and BBQ extravaganza, tours of the International office, and more! The hotel, Westin Crown Center, is elegant and gorgeous, and smack-dab in the middle of one of the premiere entertainment and shopping districts in the Midwest. The better our idea of attendance, the better we can plan, so please consider pre-registration. You can “hold your place” for as little as $20. This will likely be the largest Beta Sigma Phi convention in history – so don’t miss it if you can help it.

Call for Submissions! You’ll notice there is no “Chatter” section in this issue of The Torch. Frankly, as we’ve gone through our “slush pile,” we find that many of the submissions are, by now, quite old. We want to include as many items as possible, and we’ve adjusted our layout to accommodate that. But, as editor, I don’t see much point in printing submissions that came to us several years ago. We need fresh material from our sisters! I sometimes hear from sisters who are frustrated because, years back, they sent something to The Torch that was not included. Since I’ve become editor, we’re making a special effort to include everything we can – although, for the most part, we favor submissions that aren’t “the same old thing.” We’re contacting members who contact us, so you don’t have to wait in limbo. But if you sent something earlier than 2012, chances are it’s never going to be printed. Don’t despair – I’m personally asking you to send us NEW material. If you felt like The Torch didn’t pay attention to your submission in the past, I promise we will now. Even if we can’t use it, we’ll let you know and tell you why.

Let’s Hear from Australia, England and elsewhere! I received a letter recently lamenting that The Torch does not seem to cover events in Australia or other places outside of North America. A look through our pages will indicate that’s not entirely true – in fact, we generally print whatever non-USA submissions we get if they’re even remotely usable, because we want to highlight the international character of our sisterhood. Truth is, we just don’t get that many. We have two chapters in England and 56 in Australia, not to mention others scattered around the rest of the world. While it makes sense that The Torch will be slightly skewed toward U.S. and Canadian news, we’re actively on the look-out for submissions from elsewhere. Send them in – I promise Betsy and I will give them extra-special attention and try to include them.

That’s all for now! Florida sisters, I’ll be in Daytona Beach for your state convention in May, so make sure you pull me aside and let me know what you think of The Torch. Many of our best ideas have come from my one-on-one interactions with members at conventions, so don’t be shy!

TORCH [email protected] Editor - Seann McAnally Graphic Designer - Eric Burgess Assistant Editor - Betsy Thomas

BETA SIGMA PHI INTERNATIONALAddress: 1800 West 91st Place Kansas City MO 64114-0500Phone: 816-444-6800 (8:30 am - 5:00 pm CST M-F)Fax: 816-333-6206Insurance Only: 800-235-2806Long Term Care Insurance: 888-290-7207Gifts Only: 800-821-3989

DIVISION CHAIRMENLaura Ross Wingfield [email protected] - On-Line Chapters & Conventions Vivian Iddings - (Director of Service) [email protected] - AK, AZ, CT, DC, DE, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, MT, NH, NJ, NV, NY, PA, Puerto Rico, Germany, RI, VA, VT, & WV Karla MacRae [email protected] - Canada, GA, Greece, HI, IL, IN, KS, MN, NM, Nor-way, Scotland, WA, WY, & RussiaCynthia Meadows [email protected] - AL, AR, CO, MO, NC, TN, OH, OK, SC, TX, Belgium, & ZimbabweCindy Vance [email protected] - Austria, Australia, CA, England, Finland, FL, ID, IA, LA, Mexico, NE, ND, OR, Saudi Arabia, SD, UT, & WI

E-MAIL ADDRESSESTorch Department [email protected] Department - [email protected] Department [email protected] Page -http://www.betasigmaphi.orgBeta Journal -http://www.betajournal.comBeta Sigma Phi is an international women’s friendship network. It also provides educational programs to its members and opportunities for service to others. We are women of all ages, interests, and educational and economic backgrounds, and are the largest organization of our kind in the world. For Beta Sigma Phi membership information call:

1-888-BETA-2B1(238-2221)

March/April 2014 Volume 133 - Issue 2

Letter From The Editor

1001 Friendly Venture

1026 ABC’s Of Organizing Clutter

1028 Our Chapter Remembers Our Years In

Beta Sigma Phi.

1031 Beta Sigma Phi Jeopardy

1032 Diotima of Mantinea

732 How Well Do You Know Your Own City?

733 Herbs

736 Chocolate

738 Wildflowers

748 Your “Significant Other” and You -

Game

750 The Golden Age - Retiring in Style

751 From Spouse To Single - On Your

Own Again

752 Make Your Money Work For You

754 Finding Bucks For Your New Business -

SBA Loans

757 Genealogy

759 Gateway to the World

764 Cats!

765 Dog-Gone Good!: Woman’s Best Friend

769 Staying Cool Under Pressure

772 Local Government: Stand Up

and Be Counted

776 A History Of The U.S. Flag

778 Understanding a Little about Blindness

780 A Taste of Italy

781 Send Me A Postcard

LEISURE801 Hobbies: Sharing Your Interests

806 Memory Quilts

811 A Journal Of Self-Discovery Through

Writing: Recording Thoughts and Ideas

820 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes:

Red Is For Courage


Yellow Is For Vision


Blue Is For Humility


Green Is For Fellowship


Orange Is For Loyalty


Violet Is For Service

828 Starting Your Own Book Club

829 Dolls, Dolls, Dolls

ORIGINAL OUTLINES900 An Original Outline: Crafts

901 An Original Outline: Current Events

902 An Original Outline: Women’s Concerns

903 “We Are Shaped and Fashioned By

What We Love.”

963 Hunting For Gems

985 Harvest Festivals

989 Christmas

992 The Coffee Expert: Drink Up! -

Delicious Coffee Recipes

993 What Person Has Had The Most

Influence In Your Life?

994 If You Could Live In Any Period Of

History, Which Would You Choose?

996 When I Was In High School, People

Thought I Was....

998 The History Of Thanksgiving And

Harvest Celebrations Around The World

999 Lipstick - From The Dark Ages To The

21st Century

BETA SIGMA PHI1000 Rushing

P r o g r a m O r d e r F o r m

• Circle the numbers of the programs you want on this order form.

• Please select no more than 18 programs.

• Only one order form per chapter.

• The chapter’s program chairperson retains a copy of your order.

Chapter NameChapter Number

Program Chairperson Member Number

AddressCity, State, & Zip Code

Return to: Beta Sigma Phi International

PO Box 8500

Kansas City MO 64114-0500.

101 102 104 106 108 110 114 116

121 122 124 126 204 207 208 214

215 217 218 219 222 223 224 226

228 233 301 303 306 307 310 311

322 327 329 331 334 335 340 343

344 345 346 400 402 403 409 413

419 421 422 424 426 428 431 432

435 501 505 509 512 514 519 523

524 525 529 531 546 547 548 601

604 606 607 608 613 620 621 622

623 624 626 627 628 629 632 634

635 636 637 703 706 710 716 717

728 732 733 736 738 748 750 751

752 754 757 759 764 765 769 772

776 778 780 781 801 806 811 820

821 822 823 824 825 828 829 900

901 902 903 963 985 989 992 993

994 996 998 999 1000 1001 1026 1028

1031 1032

CAREER101 Career and Marriage: Planning

for Success

102 Learning: Career Preparation

104 Career Rewards: Attitudes, Planning

and Achievement for Career Rewards

106 Life Management: Building a

Successful Support System

108 Career and Life Planning: Marketing

Yourself and Your Skills for the

Job Market

110 Effectively Asserting Yourself

114 Entrepreneurship

116 Starting Your Own Home-Based

Business

121 You and Your Environment: What Your

Efforts can Accomplish

122 Getting Toxins Out of Your Home

124 You and Your Environment: Organic

Gardening and Growing a Safe Garden

126 Environmental Benefits of Recycling

HOME204 Rewards Harvested from Family Life

207 Art In Our Houses: Uses of Art

Elements In the Home

208 Home Planning: The House -

Architecture to Finance

214 Walls: Decorative Treatment

215 Textiles: Practical and Decorative

Uses In the Home

217 Better Lighting: Lighting for Function

and Design

218 Pictures and Mirrors: Their Uses In

Decoration

219 Accessories In the Home: Reflections

of Ourselves

222 Outdoor Living: Garden and Lawn

Decoration and Use

223 Apartment: Decorating and Furninshing

for Comfort

224 Protecting Your Home: Security

Through Knowledge and Planning

226 Rearranging Rooms for More Warmth

and Style

228 Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway):

The Ancient Art of Placement for

Health and Healing

233 Aprons Tie Us To Memories

HEALTH301 Diet: Generalities of Healthful Diet

303 Medicine: Exploring Your Interests

306 Getting The Best Of

Stress

307 Nutrition (for women

only!)

310 Pick Up Your Stamina

311 Walking

322 Healthy Homestyle: Soup

327 Healthy Homestyle: Desserts

329 Healthy Homestyle: Vegetables You

Want to Eat

331 Wines For All Times

334 Acupuncture

335 Water Aerobics

340 Breast Cancer: Myths and Realities

343 Women and Heart Disease

344 Living With Diabetes

345 Candle Comforts

346 Rest and Relaxation Soiree

HUMAN RELATIONS

400 Friendship: Finding, Developing,

Maintaining

402 Service: The Need To Serve and

Its Rewards

403 Everyone A Teacher: Teaching As

A By-Product of Communications

409 A Good Example: Study of A Role

Model For Morals and Customs

413 Sign Language Basics

419 My Sister, My Friend

421 Natural Remedies: Menopause

422 Natural Remedies: Preventing Osteoporosis

424 Natural Remedies: Preventing Cancer

426 Natrual Remedies: Keeping Your

Memory Sharp

428 Natural Remedies: Wrinkles

431 Natural Remedies: Backaches

432 Natural Remedies: Allergies

435 Facebook - Finding New Path To

Friendship

PERSONAL GROWTH

501 Perception Of Beauty: Discovering

The Why Of Beauty

505 Mental Enrichment: Modern Methods

For Fuller Lives

509 Getting Established: Security Through

Understanding and Planning

512 Private Speech: What Our Speech

Shows Us To Be

514 Winning: How To Be A Winner In Life

519 Happiness: What It Takes To Be Happy

523 Your Personal Score: Relationship Of

What You Are and What You Expect

Of Yourself

524 Perspective On Self: By Looking At

A Modern Woman

525 Perspective On Self: Looking At A

Modern Man

529 Communicating Effectively To Build

Your Child’s Self-Esteem

531 Resolving Conflicts So Everyone Wins

546 Living History

547 The Way We Were

548 Women Alone

THE ARTS

601 Literature - Poetry: Enjoying Poetry

and Lyrics

604 Drama - Theatre: Television, Stage

and Theatre For Fun

606 Popular Music: For Your Dancing

and Listening Pleasure

607 Creative Expression: Communications,

Fine Arts, Crafts As Forms Of

Expression

608 The Art Of Photography

613 Antiques

620 Armchair Traveler: Sydney, Australia

621 Armchair Traveler: San Francisco

622 Armchair Traveler: Rome

623 Armchair Traveler: Athens, Greece

624 Armchair Traveler: London

626 Armchair Traveler: Paris

627 Armchair Traveler: New York

628 Armchair Traveler: Jerusalem

629 Armchair Traveler: Hong Kong

632 Packing For Travel Like A Pro

634 Name This Baby-Boomer Tune

635 Paper Making

636 Photo Christmas Ornament

637 Iris Folding

THE WORLD AROUND US

703 Religion: Generality and Effect

706 History: Effect On and By Women

710 Estate Planning: Planning for

Retirement and Beyond

716 The World Around Us: India and

Southwestern Asia

717 The World Around Us: Eastern Europe

728 The World Around Us: Canada

Programs a la CartePrograms a la Carte

TORCH TRADITIONS 4 Conventions, New Chapters, Friendly Ventures 6 Rushing 22 International Award of Distinction 23 Announcements 30 Gifts

THE TORCH OF BETA SIGMA PHI (ISSN 0888-8930). Official Publication of Beta Sigma Phi, 1800 West 91st Place, Kansas City, Missouri 64114-0500. Periodical postage paid at Kansas City. Canada Post Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #1548255. Published 7 times a year by Beta Sigma Phi International. Member subscription price $14.00 per year. Non-member sub-scription price $14.00 per year. Individual copies $2.50. Printed in U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Torch of Beta Sigma Phi, PO Box 8500, Kansas City MO 64114-0500.

March/April 2014 The Torch 3

8 Beta Sigma Phi News Four pages of interesting news stories from your sisters around the globe!

12 Programs Check out some of the fun, creative ways sisters have come up with to challenge their brains and open their minds to new experiences!

15 Founder’s Day It’s that time of year again – Founder’s Day, when we celebrate our sisterhood and the man who had the spark of a dream that still lights up our lives today.

18 Yearbook Contest Winners What a difficult judging process! With a slew of prize-worthy entries, it was difficult to pick just a few. Check them out, along with two outstanding Honorable Mentions.

26 Programs a La Carte

On the CoverEric Burgess’s psychedelic twist on old-school typography frames some outstanding yearbook covers.

4 March/April 2014 The Torch

Alabama (Mobile) June 6-8Alaska (Juneau) May 1-4Arkansas (Little Rock) June 21-22Australia (Perth) Oct. 24-26British Columbia (N. Delta) Conclave March 1California (Monterey) May 1-4Carolinas (Asheville, NC) April 25-27Colorado (Denver) June 27-29Florida (Daytona Beach) May 16-18Georgia (Atlanta) Sept. 19-21Indiana (Lafayette) Oct. 24-26Iowa (Clear Lake) June 6-8Kentucky (Lexington) June 20-22Louisiana (Lake Charles) March 16Maine (Bangor) New England CanceledMichigan (Mackinac Island) October 3-5

Minnesota (Virginia) Sept. 19-21Mississippi (McComb) Sept. 19-20Missouri (St. Louis) Oct. 10-12Montana (Missoula) June 13-15Newfoundland (Corner Brook) May 30 – April 1New York (Rochester) October 3-5Ohio (Dayton) June 6-8Oklahoma (Cruise) June 1-8Oregon (Portland) June 20-22Quadra State(Cruise from Los Angeles) Sept.28-Oct.2South Dakota (Watertown – Joy Ranch) Oct. 24-25Tennessee (Knoxville) June 20-22Texas (Richardson) East Area Texas Oct. 17-19Virginia (Tidewater) Oct. 17-19Washington (Seattle) Sept. 19-21Washington (Auburn-Puyallup) Conclave October 12Wisconsin (Wisconsin Rapids) Oct. 10-12

Conventions2014

New FriendlyVenture ChaptersNew York Kappa Tau, Wappingers Falls Chapter in a BoxBy: Sarah Hudak

Ontario Alpha Omicron, Sioux Lookout By: Joan Cosco, Michelle Diston and Epsilon Zeta

Virginia Kappa Zeta, Virginia Beach By: Vicki Blett and Preceptor Alpha Xi

Welcome TheseNew ChaptersArizona Torchbearer Alpha, Phoenix Florida Laureate Eta Eta, Tallahassee

Florida Prceptor Kappa Beta, Sun City Center Georgia Chi Master, Cartersville

Indiana Beta Sigma Master, Hartford City Louisiana Torchbearer Alpha, Lafayette

Michigan Torchbearer Mu, Flint Minnesota Laureate Tau, Burnsville

Missouri Torchbearer Lambda, Warrensburg Ohio Laureate Epsilon Xi, Napoleon

Ohio Torchbearer Zeta, Mansfield Ohio Upsilon Rho, Mason

South Carolina Torchbearer Beta, Charleston Texas Epsilon Rho Master, Fort Worth

Texas Preceptor Pi Rho, Taylor Utah Xi Master, Salt Lake City

Wisconsin Pi Master, Eau Claire

Light UpYour Life2013-2014

Light UpYour Life2013-2014

Ligh

t Up Your LifeLi

ght U

p Your Life

California is unique, as Beta Sigma Phi is divided into eight state area Councils. From North to South they are: Far Northern Califor-nia Council, Northern California Council, Camino Real California

Council, Central California Council, Pacifica California Council, Southern California Council, Orange Coast California Council and Mission California Council. Each year the councils take turns hosting the California State Convention. Laureate Iota Rho currently has 15 active members. We also have two “snow bird” members from other states who winter in California, and who attend our meetings while they’re here. Our chapter was founded in April 2001 by women who moved to the desert from various locations across the United States. Four of our mem-bers have been active in Beta Sigma Phi for more than fifty years. Our eldest member, Ruth Frazer, has been a member 64 years.Ruth is still an active member at the age of 92. One of our members holds the Beta Sigma Phi International Award of Distinction. Five members are past presidents of other California State Councils, and four are past presidents of the Desert Cities Council. Three have served as California State Convention Chairs. Our chapter is a member of MCC and Desert Cities Council. From December 2005-2008, we assisted in hosting the annual children’s “Teddy Bear Tea” for the Riverside County Steinway Society, whose mis-sion is to promote excellence in piano performances, award scholarships and develop audiences for the musical arts. Chapter members provided homemade cookies, tea cakes and small sandwiches and set a lovely deco-rated tea buffet table. These were enjoyed by the piano students and their parents, but also by the sorority members in attendance. Through the years, our chapter members have continued to give of themselves by making fleece children’s blankets which were presented to Shelter from the Storm, a charitable haven for abused children and wom-en. Other service projects include adopting a family of five at Christmas, presenting them with food, clothing and toys to make their Christmas more joyous, collecting Christmas cards and ornaments for service men and women serving overseas, collecting new and unwrapped toys for the U.S. Marines “Toys for Tots” program in Twenty-nine Palms and doing promotional mailings as needed for the Steinway Society functions. We also contribute to the California State Philanthropic projects; Cys-tic Fibrosis Foundation; Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health School of Medicine; Beta Sigma Phi Kidney Research Fund at Stanford; Lupus Foundation of Northern California and Scleroderma Foundation.Our monetary contributions made to these projects are very important to them as it allows them to continue research to find causes and cures for these medical problems. As our Chapter ventures into the future, our members are dedicated, ex-perienced, and exemplify Beta Sigma Phi in their lives and the sorority.

California Laureate Iota Rho, Palm Desert By Theral Crutchfield


With the membership slowly decreas-ing due to members being too busy, moving out of town, or just wanting to take a leave of absence for a while, the members of Nebraska Xi Beta Xi, York decided it was time to recruit some new members. Our membership had dropped to 14 active members.

The group decided to hold a Rush Cel-ebration with a progressive dinner and a “Husker Tailgate Party” theme. The dress code for the evening was “Husk-er” attire. We invited approximately 16 potential recruits. The member who suggested each recruit was responsi-ble for picking them up and bringing them as a guest to the party.

The progressive dinner started off with appetizers from the tailgate of one of the member’s cars parked in her ga-rage. Introductions were made, and casual conversation was held. At the second stop, we had a cookout with brats, hotdogs, and all the tailgate fix-ings. Information on Beta Sigma Phi as well as our local chapter “Xi Beta Xi” was discussed with the potential new members. We held a vote for three cat-egories of “Husker Attire,” and winners were presented prizes. Dessert was enjoyed at the third and final stop ending the evening with causal conversation and a great time.

We had 10 potential recruits participate with the “Husker Tailgate Party”, and we have suc-cessfully added 7 new members. This brings our membership up to 21! - Submitted by Shauna Burk, President of Nebraska Xi Beta Xi, York

NebraskaRushing

Check out a great Rushing news story on page 8!


Florida Gamma Xi Master, Brooksville are happy to wel-come a new pledge into sister-hood. A pledge ritual was held for Cathy Cowie MacKenzie at the home of Shelley Decker. The can-dlelight ceremony was conducted by Marica Hood. Pictured left to right: Marianne Booth, Cathy MacKenzie, Marcia Hood, Shelley Decker and Maribeth Durr. - Submitted by Lydia Dodson

fLORIDA

Margaret Warwick of British Columbia Theta Master, New Westminster shares with International that her grand-daughter, Michelle Yee, was enrolled as a Legacy in 1989 when she was only three years old. She recently expressed an interest in becoming an active Beta Sigma Phi member and Margaret was thrilled with this news!!

Margaret quickly got on the phone and called International and visited with her Division Chairman, Karla MacRae, to find out about the chapters in Edmonton for Michelle. Karla quickly shared the name and phone number for contact for the local city council with Margaret.

The members and Barbara Messenger, the Contact Chairman for Edmonton City Council were fantastic!! They quick-ly called Michelle and she is joining Alberta Gamma Mu, Edmonton. The Edmonton City Council subsequently held a pledge ritual complete with a banquet and it was wonderful. Michelle is loving sorority and all her new friends!!

Margaret was also in attendance at the Pledge Ritual and had the opportunity to re-connect with a sorority sister, Gail Windjack of Alberta Laureate Epsilon, Edmon-ton. Her own daughters grew up knowing her as “Aunt Gail.” She met Gail in 1969 and they have been friends ever since how-ever had not seen each other for about four years. What a wonderful surprise for both of them. - Submitted by Margaret Warwick of British Columbia Theta Master, New Westminster

Alberta & B.C.

Scholarship Pageant Promotes Sorority

8 March/April 2014

An annual scholarship pageant for young la-dies is getting a healthy dose of help from Beta Sigma Phi, which will make sorority highly visible in southwestern Oregon. The Rogue Valley City Council, based in Med-ford, works hard to cohesively promote harmony between the chapters and encourage other women to become sisters in our sorority. We’ve outdone ourselves this year in approach-ing the annual Pear Blossom Scholarship Pag-eant to see if there wasn’t some way we could bring Beta Sigma Phi to the attention of the pub-lic, and hopefully bring more members into the fold at the same time. The pageant is part of the annual Pear Blossom Festival, a large regional celebration. There are nine high schools in the Rogue Val-ley whose students can enter the pageant, and, coincidentally, our City Council has nine chap-ters in it. Participating in the program seemed a natural fit. In order for a young woman to be considered as a candidate for the scholarships, she must fill

several requirements of the Pear Blossom Schol-arship Committee and maintain those require-ments for many months prior to judging. In order for these young ladies to compete, much work is involved by the Committee in such areas as teaching the girls how to dress appropriately, develop exemplary manners, etiquette, and re-fine their social skills. Additionally, the girls must make numerous public appearances, sell tick-ets and raise money for the event, participate in community functions, exhibit leadership skills, go through an extensive interview, write and pres-ent an extemporaneous essay and be able to answer impromptu questions from the judges, as well as maintain a 3.5 grade point average throughout the year. Each of these qualities require several women to encourage, help, teach, and coach the girls. On the night of the pageant, the participants need assistance changing from one outfit or costume to another, and the women help with this as well. This year, members of the chapters of our City Council are volunteering to help the young par-ticipants. Our most senior chapter, Oregon Torch-bearer Gamma, Medford, is providing cake, lem-onade and coffee as their own contribution. The pageant is heavily attended and Beta Sigma Phi will be specifically singled out as having made the event possible. Best of all, we’ll have a table in the lobby of the pageant with materials and sisters to share all about sorority! We believe these efforts will help promote interest in Beta Sigma Phi and hopefully bring in new members, as well.

By Carrie PikeOregon Torchbearer Gamma, Medford

Scholarship Pageant Promotes Sorority

New Mexico chapter provides

New Mexico Laureate Rho, Los Alamos, has always been known for its philanthropic efforts in the com-munity. Whether through fundraisers for charity or

giving gift bags to seniors during the holidays, the Laureate Rho chapter, as well as the four other chapters in Los Ala-mos, have always been there when residents needed them. Now, Laureate Rho has extended its reach directly to the children of Los Alamos, making sure every po-lice car of the Los Alamos Police Department has a small backpack or two filled with quilts or afghans, snacks, water, stuffed animals and a coloring book. Called Komfort For Kids, the idea is for police officers to hand them out to kids when they arrive on calls where ap-parent abuse or trauma has taken place.

“The time will probably be a very traumatic time for them,” said Laureate Rho member Pat Cruz. “For them to have something to wrap around themselves or to hold onto like a stuffed animal will mean a lot to them.” Laureate Rho member Cecilia Dimpfel came up with the idea, after noticing that while there were many programs to help children affected by trau-mas and disaster, none of them were local. “My main thing was to have something that stays in Los Alamos,” Dimpfel said. “It seems like everything else went down the valley or Albuquerque. It’s not that I’m against that, but we have to take care of our children too,” she said.

The 14 members of Laureate Rho aren’t in this by them-selves, however. They have received massive support from the community for this project, especially when it comes to the homemade quilts. The Los Alamos Piecemakers Quilt Guild, RSVP Senior Quilters, Los Alamos Church of Christ Quilting Guild and Warm Hearts Yarn have contributed the quilts and the materials to make them.

Dimpfel noted that as the packs get distributed, they will be relying on the community to help replenish the supplies. To keep from getting overwhelmed, Laureate Rho and the

LAPD have worked out a system. Whenever supplies are low, the department’s chief, Dino Sgambellone, will con-tact Laureate Rho and hopefully, Laureate Rho will have enough on hand to supply them.

According to member Dee Sherlock, chapter president, so far they have not had any problems with support. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the community’s commitment,” she said. “They’ve been just so wonderful with their dona-tions.”

In February, 37 Komfort Kits were delivered to Los Alamos Police Department. Ben Irving, a police officer with the LAPD, said he could see the backpacks and their contents being very helpful to the officers in the course of their du-ties.

“We are very happy that they are willing to offer these ad-ditional tools to help the community in Los Alamos,” Irving said. “It allows us to further our mission here as well as help the populace.”

Editor’s Note: Portions of this article previously appeared in the Los Alamos Daily Post, and are included here with kind permission.

“Komfort for Kids”


Komfort for Kids is the brainchild of Laureate Rho mem-ber Cecilia Dimpfel. Here, she presents a kit to Los Ala-mos police officer Ben Irving. Photo by Leland Lehman/Los Alamos Daily Post


A recent article in The Torch was able to bring together two sisters who have been affected by neurofibromatosis (NF).

After reading about seven-year-old Catherine Lee, a legacy of Georgia Kappa Mu, Atlanta who lives with NF, in the May-June 2013 issue of The Torch, Rose Marie Kelly of Georgia Laureate Sigma, Decatur, was touched. She lives with NF as well, and, tragically, lost a daughter to the disorder. Rose contacted Betsy Thomas, assistant Torch editor, who put her in touch with Kappa Mu. Rose lives in Tucker, GA, not too far from Atlanta. She became fast friends with Kappa Mu members and developed a special relationship with little Catherine, who currently has two tumors, one of which is on an optic nerve.

They recently joined forces, along with many other sisters, to raise awareness of the disorder.

Kappa Mu has for several years aimed

to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) as part of its service projects. Most recently, the chapter has contributed to and participated in the first Neurofibromatosis (NF) Walk in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park just before the winter holidays.

Participants in this year’s walk included new friends Rose and Catherine.

The NF walk raised more than $30,000 in dona-tions to CTF for research to find effective treat-ments and hopefully a cure for NF. The disease af-fects one in every 3,000 births and is more common than cystic fibrosis, inherited muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, and Tay-Sachs combined. NF affects people of all races and ethnic origins, and half of all cases arise in families with no history of the disorder.

The bottom line is, anyone’s next child could be born with NF.

For the past few years, the CTF has been the prima-ry service project for Kappa Mu. In fact, the chapter was instrumental in proposing the addition of CTF to Beta Sigma Phi’s endowment fund. The chapter submitted all the required paperwork, including a petition from members of many Goergia chapters and a letter of support from K.C. Edwards, pres-ident of Beta Sigma Phi’s Atlanta City Coun-cil. Thanks to their efforts, the Children’s Tumor Foundation now appears on the 2014 International Endowment Fund ballot as a new proposal (see the February 2014 issue of The Torch).

Legacy’s story connects sisters, inspires support

for Children’s Tumor Foundation

Pictured at the NF Walk in Atlanta are Kappa Mu legacy Catherine Lee and Rose Marie Kelly of Laureate Sigma. Behind Catherine is her grand-mother, Shirley Mensching of Kappa Mu. Behind Rose is Sharon Sheivelhud of Laureate Sigma.

Canadian Sister Swims English ChannelIf a friend said, “let’s go for a swim,” you might take

her up on it. But what about swimming the English Channel?

That was a lifelong dream of Denise Cesselli-Thomp-son of British Columbia Epsilon Upsilon, Winfield. Late last summer, after swimming for 13 hours and 45 min-utes, Denise felt sand beneath her feat – on the shores of France. She had realized her dream of swimming the English Channel. Here’s the rest of her story of determination and courage. The English Channel is a very complicated body of water. It demands a healthy dose of respect. The channel is fed from the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and that makes it very choppy and cold. Be-tween June and September, the water ranges from 59 to 60 degrees (15 to 18 celsius). That’s a lot colder than Lake Okanagan, where Denise trained. The qualifying swim a few months before the of-ficial crossing was for two hours, and Denise endured water temperatures of about 55 degrees (13 celsius). Denise had to train without a wetsuit, starting with three swims each week in a pool and one in the lake, working her way up to five days in the pool and two in the lake. Denise’s coach was 21-year-old David Di-metrov, who warned her that the Channel is about 22 miles (35 km) across, but because of currents and tides, the actual swimming distance is closer to 25 to 31 miles (40 to 50 km). Denise started her adventure at the white cliffs of Dover in England at 9 a.m. on Aug. 4. Like countless mariners before them throughout his-tory, the swimmers had to wait for a window of opportunity. They had 11 days in which the tides and weather were likely to cooperate. There were five swimmers on the team, all from the Okanagan region of Canada, accompanied by a fishing trawler, the Louise Jane. Many people have died attempt-ing the swim. Crossing the Channel

has been compared to climbing Mount Everest. In fact, the Channel has killed more contenders per try than Everest, a thought that sent shivers up the swim-mers’ spines! Denise had a difficult time during her stint. She start-ed on the leeward side of the boat, but her injured hip kept pushing her sideways toward the boat – touching the boat automatically disqualifies a swim-mer. She had to change to the windward side, which was very wavy. Saltwater regularly pushed its way into her mouth. She had to have a boost energy drink warmed up and thrown to her on a rope at 20-minute intervals. She also made the acquaintance of several curious sea lions, who bumped her arm and bruised her. They seemed to be asking, “Who are you in our Channel?” All of these challenges occurred in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. But Denise and her team managed to touch ground at the village of Wissant on the coast of France. Denise ran up to the high tide line, turned around, and yelled, “We made it!” It was about 1 a.m., almost 14 hours after her departure. Well done, Denise! Your sisters are proud of you! The rules of Beta Sigma Phi served you well: You had a “determination to give the best that was in you,” and swam the English Channel with an “earnestness of purpose” and “followed your dream to your goal!”

Denise Cesselli-Thompson fulfills a lifelong dream


ProgramsIt’s the March-April issue, and sisters know what that means – a fresh Pro-grams a la Carte list, which you can find on pages 26-27. That will take the place of our “featured program” for this issue. In the meantime, here are some of the interesting ways sis-ters around the country continue to forge new ground, creating fresh pro-grams for their own enrichment and

that of their sisters. Programs have been central to sorority culture since the very beginning. The staff of The Torch never ceases to be amazed at the new ideas our sisters come up with. If you haven’t submitted one in a while, please do so! Contact Seann or Betsy at 816-444-6800 or [email protected] as we continue to update and expand program offerings.

Masks for Mardi GrasPeg Matthews of Florida Epsilon Epsilon, Brooks-ville, shares a recent program on Mardi Gras. “At a re-cent meeting of Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi of Brooksville, FL our program was on Mardi Gras. The entire chapter decorated masks. The masks then were donated to Brooksville Healthcare Center. The activity director used them as decorations while the patients made “Mardi Gras Floats” out of shoe boxes. We also donated our left-over sup-plies. The director then shared any extra sup-plies with other area centers.” Pictured here is the chapter in their Mardi Gras finest!

Light Up Your Life with Garden Lights!Alabama Preceptor Zeta, Gadsden, car-ried out the “light up your life” theme with an exciting program – they learned to create gar-den lights. The ladies say they had a great time, and enjoyed some jokes together as they real-ized some sisters were not as “crafty” as others. Here the chapter displays the little ways they’ll light up their gardens as Beta Sigma Phi lights up their lives!

Oregon Laureate Alpha Iota, Monmouth, involved two new pledges in a program about light – a demonstration of the practice of “ear candling.” It’s a type of alternative medicine adherents claim promotes general health by lighting one end of a hollow candle and plac-ing the other end in the ear canal. At the home of our new pledge Ashley Jackson, an-other pledge, Willy Debnam, demonstrated ear candling for our members. Her assistant was long-time member Lynne Lindsey. The program was very interesting, and as you can tell from this photo, the ladies obvi-ously had a wonderful time!

Members of New Jersey Laureate Nu, Toms River, when anticipating an upcoming meeting, received a message asking they all wear their aprons. Members Wilma Flagg and Cheryl Scro tell the story: “We all anticipated we would be cooking or doing something messy. To our surprise, Wilma, our program presenter, began by giving a brief his-tory of the apron and then asked us to share the stories behind the aprons we wore. The apron has played many roles in history, each quite specific. We learned that the apron comes in many styles for many uses. The pinafore apron was used mainly for cooking and cleaning, whereas the bib type was mainly used in cooking. The cocktail apron that tied around the waist was used to serve rather than cook, and historically had a pocket to hold a lady’s handkerchief. One sister shared an apron with a direct link to Beta Sigma Phi that origi-nated at a convention – it was crested black with a bouquet of yellow roses. Every time she wears it, it brings back memories of her sisters. Another sister proudly showed off her Evlis apron and ad-mitted to being one of his biggest fans. One sister wore a red checked pinafore apron with pockets decorated with Dutch girls and tulips, while an-other boasted of the chef’s skills on the BBQ grill. Aprons displaying cartoon characters, buzzing bees on sunflowers, sports mascots – each had special meaning. Not surprisingly, many of the stories our sisters shared were about loved ones who taught them to bake or cook. Such sharing passes skills on from generation to generation. Sharing these stories together was a wonderful way to come clos-er to our sisters and make lasting ties of friend-ship.”

Meanwhile, sisters of South Carolina Laureate Rho, Greenville, had a similar program. Like their sisters in New Jersey, Laureate Rho members found themselves telling stories of their mothers or grandmothers wearing the apron and how it had touched their lives. Some stories brought laugh-ter – others brought tears of happiness remem-bering how just one simple apron could trigger a memory of a special person or event. “So, girls,” reminds Linda Buchanan of Laureate Rho, “don’t just throw away those stained, ratty aprons – you never know when you might want to revisit another time in your life and share it with others.”

(New Jersey)

(South Carolina)


Sometimes an interesting program can be the springboard to a new service project. Bonita “Bon-nie” Roetzer of Missouri Torchbearer Beta, Manchester, tells of a recent program enjoyed her the West St. Louis City Council: “We had a quilting club attend to give us a program about quilting. One of our sisters belongs to the club. They displayed many of the quilts they’d created and explained the history of patterned quilts. In return for their program, they were allowed to sell our council raffle tickets for one of the quilts. It was held two weeks later and I was shocked to get a phone call that I had won the raffle! This sparked a great idea – that each of the 12 chapters in our council would create one block for a quilt for a service project. When completed, the lovely

quilt was donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Creve Couer, Mo. While donating the quilt, we received a lovely tour of the new house.” Pictured here are chapter members donating the quilt to Matt Lauer, manager of the Creve Couer Ronald McDonald House.

Florida Laureate Alpha Epsilon, Gainesville, enjoyed a won-derful program on its Revealing Night in May, as related by Penny LaIacona: “At the last meeting of the year, the new chapter scrap-book was presented to the outgoing president. However, this time it was presented in the form of a program. The scrapbook committee decided at the start of the year to try something new to save the chapter some money. Throughout the year, they collected photos digitally and then organized them. The committee explained how they were able to organize and create and bring it all together to form a Digital Scrapbook. It was pre-sented on DVD for our president, and we all enjoyed watching it unfold on a large TV screen! We were all able to take part in a spirited discussion, because it involved everyone. And best of all – each of us got a copy of our own. What fun!” Pictured here is Marybeth Syfert showing off the scrapbook cover as it appears on big-screen TV.

A New Tradition in Scrapbooks

All About ShamansAlberta Preceptor Psi, Brooks, experienced an interesting new program recently – one all about shamans. Member Heather Miyauchi shared with her sisters just what a shaman is and what they do in various cultures. She shared a story of her visit with a shaman from deep in the Amazon rain forest during a re-

cent visit to Ecuador. She spoke about totems and “earth personalities” of each member. Members marveled at how Heather’s information seemed to be spot-on! She also spoke about medicine wheels, dream catchers,

the Santeria religion, and the practice of smudging – that is, warding off evil spirits with smoke or incense. Members wore Native Ameri-

can bracelets, had their food blessed with colorful feathers, and admired Heather’s collection of earthenware pottery. Sisters even learned the story about how the city of Medicine Hat near their chapter got its name during a battle between the Cree and Black-foot tribes. Member Jane Zuback added to the fun showing off her collection of dream catchers and Native American artifacts.


O ur founder, Walter W. Ross, had a close friendship with noted artist Robert “Bob” Harris. Harris created many of the fine

portraits of the Ross family that grace the International office. This one hangs in the Memory Room – Walter’s office – and the image of Walter as a trailblazer seems appropriate. He loved horseback riding and blazed many trails of his own. But perhaps the most memorable trail he blazed

was the one we still walk today – the path of life, learn-

ing, and friendship of Beta Sigma Phi. Walter’s physical body is gone but his spirit lives on in the

light of every candle, the words of every ritu-

al, in the very essence of Beta Sigma Phi.


Recipe for Friendship Last year’s Founder’s Day celebrations of the chap-ters of Akron Ohio City Council were graced with a nice touch. When members entered the Prestwick Country Club dining room, they found tables formed into a large square, covered with pristine white tablecloths topped with black tri-angular cloths and yellow napkins, roses, and candles. Mem-bers were assigned keepsake place settings – wooden recipe holders embossed with the member’s name, chapter, pledge date, and two questions: Who invited you? Why did you join? The holders were also emblazoned with the saying, “...the fra-

grance lingers in the hand that gives you the rose.” In the recipe holder was, of course, a recipe for friendship. Dura Barbour, cor-responding secretary for Ohio Gamma Alpha

Master, Akron, summed up what she liked best about the event with a statement many sisters can surely relate to: “There were lifetime friends in the room, new friendships forming, each chapter bringing a different dimension into Ak-ron City Council, but each equally important to the dynamics of Beta Sigma Phi...we all continue to share and support one another.”

Chapter celebrates 82 years of sistershood Pennsylvania Iota Lamb-da, Warfordsburg, had the good fortune to use Founder’s Day as the perfect excuse to celebrate the 82nd Anniversary of the founding of their chapter! After a de-lightful dinner at the Town Hill Bed & Breakfast, there were the usual presentations, including the Golden Circle for Alice Layton and a 50-year pin for Iris Hendershot (pictured). One

of the strongest aspects of the day, though, was the pride in knowing Iota Lambda goes back to nearly the very beginning of sorority in an unbroken chain of friendship.

Arizona sisters inspired by Founder’s Day to Friendly Venture Arizona Laureate Beta Zeta, Surprise, had a special Founder’s Day that shows the diversity of their chapter – they hosted a Pledge Ritual and a Diamond Ritual on the same day. Janet Bluhm, past president of the chapter, remembers it well: “Ruth Olander received a Dia-mond Ritual and Carol Mattehhessuen received her Pledge Ritual. We were in charge of Founder’s Day for our Sun City coalition, and Carol Pearson did a wonder-ful job as chairman. Each table had seven roses in a vase and each woman was giv-en one to take home with her. Each sister was also given a lovely bookmark with a rose background and the Beta Sigma Phi rituals written on them, making it easy to recite them when needed. Each mem-ber of our chapter was a hostess at each table, and each table was assigned one member of each chapter. This gave us a chance to really get to know one another one-on-one! Lola Thompson designed our programs, and they too were lovely.” Janet said Surprise is a growing city, and that makes it ripe for finding new sisters! “We will be working on a Friendly Venture. Our chapter is full, and we have more than 120,000 residences in Surprise. Our city is a fast-growing area of the country, so friendships need to be created!”

There are as many ways to celebrate Founder’s Day as there are sorority chapters, but one thing holds common: it’s a time for rituals, for marking the passage of time, and for cherishing the past while looking toward the future. Here’s just a glimpse at some of the ways sisters have celebrated this special day. As we prepare for celebrations of our 2014 Founder’s Day, there is no better time to reflect on the principles and purpose of Beta Sigma Phi – and have a great time while doing it! Editor’s Note – For a related Founder’s Day stories from Australia, see page 21!

Founder’s Day


A Founder’s Day to Remember This April, Kay Savage-Montoya of New Mexico Pre-ceptor Beta Delta, Los Lunas, has moved to Tucson, Arizona, but stays in touch with her sisters from across the state line. This year, Kay will not only celebrate Founder’s Day, but her own 96th birthday! In fact, 2014 is her 75th year in Beta Sigma Phi! Her daughter, Linda Lewis, found this great photo of Kay at her 50th Anniversary in sorority, when she was in an Albuquerque chapter. Notice anyone familiar? That’s Bill Ross, who Kay was thrilled to meet. Last year, as she celebrated her own Torchbearer degree ritual, she re-minded her sisters how Founder’s Day brings out a lifetime of sorority memories.

Sister reminisces on Founder’s Day Florida Laureate Gamma Zeta, Belle Glade, hon-ored their longtime member Nancy Carpenter at their Found-er’s Day luncheon. Jeannette Cearley, says Nancy has been a huge influence on their chapter and has given much of herself to sorority over the years. At the luncheon, Nancy’s sis-ters asked her to say a few words, which Jeannette has captured here: “I was married for one year when I was rushed into Beta Sigma Phi in Pahokee, Florida. I was 20 years old. Now, 60 years later I am proud to still be a member and still be married to the same wonderful man. I have thoroughly enjoyed sorority and appreciated the opportunity to serve in all its office and committee chairs. One of my most memorable experiences was joining with my sisters in 1984 to host a sit-down dinner for 100 guests from around the world at my home during the 9th World Orchid Conference in Miami. Another heart-warming experience was hosting the Founder’s Day luncheon in my home for all five chapters in our area. The theme that year was “You’re Among Friends,” and I certainly have been – for 60 years!”

Founder’s Day rituals in the Great Northwest Founder’s Day is often a time for special rituals. Dolores Moore of Washington Mu Master, Seattle, sent this photo of a special Founder’s Day celebration of the Emer-ald City Council at Shore-line Community College. Eva Rae Neil, Harriet Pomeroy-Chase, Shirley Lind, Arlene Strong and Middy Kearney (above) all received their 60-year ritual on that day! Meanwhile, not far away, Judy Gronau, Adele Eggers, Jau-don Smith, Gayle Stephens, and Opal Haley of Oregon Al-pha Alpha Master, Grants Pass (below), all received their Torchbearer degree at a special ceremony at Cave Junction. The ladies said they loved the Torchbearer badge, and all en-joyed a cake decorated with yellow roses.

Founder’s Day Across Canada Lethbridge City Council of Al-berta honored 17 sis-ters from area chapters at a lovely Founder’s Day Banquet. Dawn Axtell of Alberta Xi Iota, Lethbridge, just had to share this photo (top)! Meanwhile, three prov-inces away, Janet Mills and Joan Carter of Ontario Xi Master, Sudbury (middle), received their Golden Circle, while their chapter sisters Anne Anderson, Senny Legge and charter member Edna Bailey (bot-tom) were honroed for 65 years of active service in sorority.

Founder’s Day


Once again, The Torch staff was thoroughly impressed with an amazing pile of year-book contest entries! Judging, as always, was close, and we were hard-pressed to narrow down such an impressive crop of yearbooks. Sisters seemed to go all out this year. Each yearbook is a glimpse into the world of the chapter that makes it, and it’s been a pleasure to wade through the details of so many sorority lives.

2014 Yearbook Contest Winners

First Place Laureate, Master and TorchbearerFlorida Gamma Gamma Master, Tampa sheds light on a fun and illuminating year with this winner of a yearbook. The light shines throughout sprinkled with snap shots paired with enlightening quotes. The programs exude the theme “Light Up Your Life” with programs like “Light Up the Night Sky,” discovering the constella-tions, and “Light Up Your Life with Candles,” learning the history of candles. Even their socials beam with great parties like a Mardi Gras Murder Mystery party – “Party Lights and Flashlights and Murder...Oh My!!!” Each section is clearly shown leaving nothing to darkness or doubt with helpful tabs and clearly defined sections to light the way. These sisters know how to light it up!

First Place Ritual of Jewels, Exemplar and Preceptor Organization, organization, and organization – that’s why this year-book from Louisiana Preceptor Alpha Beta, New Orleans, is a winner! Decorated with stunning images of fireworks, the theme of “Light Up Your Life” was apparent throughout the book. Simple, clean, effective layout and a detailed, sturdy tab system makes individual items easy to locate. A nice stack of loose-leaf program evaluation forms in the back pocket of the book was a nice touch. The monthly calendar, with each month on a two-page spread, offers plenty of solid information as well as room for copious notes. In short, this is an excellent effort from an enthusiastic chapter.


2014 Yearbook Contest Winners Second Place Ritual of Jewels, Examplar and PreceptorSturdy, colorful, and spiral-bound – this purse-sized yearbook from Florida Delta Delta, Tampa, is absolutely jam-packed with life, spar-kling graphics, and tons of detail. The yearbook committee clearly made an effort to incorporate the “Light Up Your Life” theme with well-chosen graphics, while the pages are adorned with clean, high-quality clip art. The best aspect of this book, however, isn’t the nice, compact design, but the wealth of detail. A nice touch in the mem-ber’s section are blank pages for new members – certainly a positive and optimistic sign that this chapter expects to grow. Well done!

Second Place Laureate, Master and TorchbearerThe second place winner in this category, North Carolina Pi Master, Havelock, lights up the sky like a firecracker! Each section is burst-ing with a uniform fireworks graphic, fusing everything together with a common element. Using the theme “Light Up Your Life,” these sisters chose to shed light on different lighthouses with many of their programs. There socials too radiate light from a Fireworks Lite Up Your Life cookout to a Light Up The Tea Room With Your Presence tea. This well-organized and easy to use yearbook means you’ll find what you need in a flash. Spectacular work!

Third Place Ritual of Jewels, Examplar and PreceptorYearbooks are not judged by their covers, but this particular entry from Virginia Preceptor Gamma Chi, Williamsburg, did stand out initially – two spiral-bound books in a sturdy pink plastic box, perfect for keep-ing extra papers and notes in. Decorated with appropriate light-themed images, the books also use color well to help keep things organized. Even though there is no tab system, individual items are still easy to locate. A wealth of detail in the members section includes short biographies of the members that go beyond simple preferences. The Torch staff even got some good story ideas out of this!


Honorable Mention Laureate, Master and TorchbearerTexas Laureate Theta Pi, Katy lights the way by sea, thus claiming Honorable Mention in this category. The lighthouse is a guiding light showing the way home and what better use of this year’s theme “Light Up Your Life” then showing sisters the way home. After all, when you’re with sisters it’s like coming home. The fabric book cover adds to that feeling of home with a lighthouse beaming, signaling the way. Navi-gation in this yearbook is easy, just follow the lighthouses posted at each tabed section. Each lighthouse reflects an attribute color, all six are repeated over and over to further navigate the way to Lighing Up Your Life. The keepers of this lighthouse yearbook know how to look through the lens of life and find the light!

Honorable Mention Ritual of Jewels, Examplar and PreceptorThis yearbook from Colorado Kappa, Denver, is absolutely gor-geous, and missed being in the top three by a single point. Good organization and a colorful tab system makes things easy to find. A three-dimensional effect with the decorations and graphics is a nice touch. With the proud chapter motto “This ain’t your mama’s chapter,” Kappa is obviously a youthful chapter, full of energy, and heralds a bright future for sorority as yet another generation be-comes involved and makes it their own. It is certainly the only year-book in which the member’s section had space to list tattoos and piercings!

Third Place Laureate, Master and TorchbearerAlabama Laureate Sigma, Mobile takes the spotlight with third place. This yearbook steals the show with flashes of color and light as evidenced by the cover. Spotlights accentuate the theme “Light Up Your Life” from cover to cover. A detailed table of contents and tab system highlights where to find anything you’re looking for. Each tab section is adorned with different cartoon scenes of women in all shapes and sizes basking under a spotlight. Even their chapter roster has each member center stage and in the limelight. The programs section accents the theme with programs like Light Up Your Life in Space. Not only do the programs punctuate the theme, they are laid out with extensive detail, underlining the pur-pose and much more. Everything imaginable is underscored in this fabulous book.


In December, our sorority lost a beloved member, Au-drey Taylor. She was not only an important member of our chap-ter, but one of the first members of sorority in Australia. Audrey was a charter member of Beta Sigma Phi in Mel-bourne, and joined in 1958 at the birth of sorority in Austalia. She helped establish the first chapter in Victoria and Friendly Ven-tured many other chapters. Throughout 55 years, Audry made lifelong friends who offered love, support and encouragement. We will miss this elegant lady. We will miss her warmth, her style and her lovely humor.

Sisters Remember Founding Member By Cindy Last, Victoria Beta Master, Melbourne

Founder’s Day Down Under By Seann McAnally, from archives

In 1958, Elsie Guenther, a staff member at Interna-tional, planned a vacation to see the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia. She found a way to turn that vacation into the birth of Beta Sigma Phi “down under.” Before setting out on her journey, Elsie asked founder Walter W. Ross for permission to attempt to establish a chap-ter in Australia. He thought it was an excellent idea, and gave her his full blessing and support. When the ship docked in Australia, however, Elsie’s courage wavered. Though Australia and the United States share a common heritage, language, and have a great deal in common, Elsie still felt somewhat like a stranger in a strange land, a nation where she knew no one, across a vast ocean and half a continent from her home. As she looked at the crowd waiting to greet passengers, she had a moment of fear and

wondered if it might not be better to return to her cabin and go back to her familiar world. But wait – there was something familiar! A large bow of black and gold ribbons! It seems a member-at-large who had emigrated to Australia learned of her visit and cared enough to meet Elsie at the ship with the familiar black-and-gold. All the rest of her life, Elsie carried those ribbons wherever she went. They were a reminder that the hand of friendship in sorority is far-reaching, and could not be broken by vast distances. Elsie stayed long enough to pass the torch on to her new Australian sisters and established four chapters! Today, there are some 56 chapters in Australia, and our sis-ters down under are vital and well-loved members of the Beta Sigma Phi family.

Audrey Taylor (4th from left) with her beloved sisters of Beta Master.

Melbourne sisters gather “Under the Clocks” By Mary Hansen, Victoria Kappa Master, Black Rock

The Victorian City Council’s 55th Founder’s Day Luncheon, “Under the Clocks,” was held at the Vibe Savoy Hotel with 127 members and guests. All enjoyed an afternoon of friendship, fun and great food! The “clocks” theme is a reference to a historic meeting place outside of the historic Flinders Street railway station in Melbourne, which is in need of restoration. Guests included our honorary member, Dr. Margaret Garson, noted cytogeneticist, pathologist and educator, and representatives from the National Council of Women and the Country Women’s Association. Legacy daughters were also included, which added youth and vitality to the day. Our guest speaker was Jenny Davies, the author of Beyond the Facade: Flinders Street, More Than Just a Rail-way Station. Jenny is very passionate about the restoration

of this historic Melbourne train station and she gave insight into the project’s progress. She reminded everyone of the personal stories connected to the “Clocks” meeting place and the importance of maintain-ing one of Melbourne’s icons for future generations. Six members were honored with the Golden Circle Ritual in acknowledgment of their 50 years in sorority. The Torchbearer degree was given to thirteen members who have been active in the Master degree for the last 12 years. This is an elite group of members who deserve to be honored at such a special Founder’s Day.

Ask her sisters, and they’ll tell you Carolyn is the essence of the principles of Beta Sigma Phi. As a Nu Phi Mu member in 1967, she started her journey slowly but grew through the years to become, according to her sisters, an im-portant and shining example of sorority life. “Her positive attitude and enthusiasm is genuine and it is easy for her to convince all of us that we can do what needs to be done,” said Inez Wilson of California Alpha Omega Master, San Jose. “We learn from her example.” Jo Anna Watt, of California Laureate Gamma Al-pha, San Jose, agreed. “Carolyn is a high-energy, very posi-tive example of what a Beta Sigma Phi should be.” Throughout the years, Carolyn has held almost all of-fices and committees in chapter and council, and served as area council president and a knowledgeable adviser to other chapters. She is now working with the Northern California Council advisory committee and travels many miles to assist chapters who need help. Aside from her official chapter and council duties, Carolyn’s known as the “go-to-girl” for unofficial jobs, as well. “She is also our chapter seamstress,” said Marie Fisch-ette. “Any time we need costumes for a brunch, convention or council event, we can count on her to put it together.” “Her philanthropic projects in chapter and council are beyond anything previously done in our area,” said Inez. For example, Carolyn initiated fashion shows with the sole purpose of helping service projects such as Cystic Fibrosis, Scleroderma, Lupus and BSP Standford Kidney, regularly raising more than $2,000 for donations with no cost to the council. Carolyn also has an active service life outside of so-rority, such as volunteering her time at Native American res-ervations and as a church counselor for teenagers, showing

that she truly cares for people in need. She’s also an avid pro-ponent of the council’s scholarship funds for needy students. Over the years she has solicited contributions for qualified students, and continues to do so. Somehow, in the midst of maintaining an active and dedicated sorority life, Carolyn managed to raise five chil-dren, run a 14-child day care for 30 years, operated a 600-member soccer league with her husband, and spent 22 years volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America (two of her sons are Eagle Scouts) and 15 years working with the Girl Scouts of America. In fact, Carolyn has done so much for her chapter, council, and the community in general, that her sisters have trouble enumerating everything she’s done. “Carolyn’s forty-plus years of being an active member makes it difficult to remember all of her accomplishments,” Inez said. Elizabeth Duprey of California Beta Pi Master, San Jose said Carolyn is the sister who steps up when others step back. “In a time when many chapters and councils are cut-ting back, are not attending events due to age or infirmity, are no longer interested in holding office or working on a proj-ect, Carolyn continues to promote Beta Sigma Phi,” Elizabeth said. “She faces forward. She is all that is good and true and beautiful. She is a Beta Sigma Phi.”

Carolyn Tanner California Preceptor Sigma, San Jose Member since 1967

International Award of DistinctionMeet one of the newest recipients of the International Award of Distinction (IAD), the highest honor that Beta Sigma Phi bestows on active members.

Carolyn has shown her enthusiasm for all things Beta Sigma Phi.


23

Parade Of LegaciesEntry Form

Twice each year, Fall and Spring, Legacy members are featured in The Torch. To enter your legacy,

The Torch will need a color photo, 3”x 5” or larger. Pictures will not be returned. If acknowledgment

of receipt is desired, just enclose a self-addressed postage paid postcard with your entry. Please

return this entry form, photograph and if not previously enrolled as a Legacy, the application form

with the enrollment fee. No emailed photos can be accpeted.

To: The Legacy DeskBeta Sigma Phi

PO Box 8500Kansas Ciry, MO 64114-0500

Legacy’s Full Name:__________________________________________________________________________

Legacy Number:_____________________________________________________________________________

Sponsor’s Name:_____________________________________________Member #______________________

Sponsor’s Address:___________________________________________________________________________

Chapter Name:_______________________________________Chapter Number #_____________________

“Briefly tell us about your Legacy”_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

HERE’S THE LATEST ON EXCESS MONTHS TOWARD PROGRESSION

If you have excess months – meaning that you spent longer in lower degrees than required, this is for you. You may recall that in the September/October 2013 issue of The Torch on page 27 we announced we are now allowing excess months members have ac-cumulated in lower degrees to count toward their progression, thereby allowing members to take the higher degrees they have active chapter time for. In that announcement we indicated that in order for those members with excess degree time to have that time moved, that they needed to contact their Division Chairman to request that the time be added to their progression records. However, instead of requiring members to contact their Division Chairman to initiate

the process we have decided to automati-cally move those excess months forward. Our goal is to move those excess months for-ward by September of this year, 2014, before the Fall Certifcations are mailed. It is impor-tant to note that if you have enough excess months to not only make you eligible for the next degree but for the next degree after that, you are required to take each degree in order before advancing to the next eligi-ble degree. This means that you must do the Ritual for that first degree you are eligible for and notify your Divsion Chairman that you have received that degree before any ad-ditional excess months may be moved for-ward toward the next eligible degree.

If you don’t know your Division Chairman visit our web site, www.betasigmaphi.org. Go to the “con-tact us” link. This lists the Division Chairmen by state and gives your contact information. If you call, just

tell the receptionist your state and she will con-nect you to the correct Division Chairman.


Send your entries to the attention of the appropriate contest, c/o The Torch, Beta Sigma Phi International, P.O. Box 8500, Kansas City, MO 64114-0500

Entries must be original, unpublished poems written by Beta Sigma Phis in good standing. They may be of any theme and length (although, lengthy poems are not likely to be published in their entirety). Poem(s) must be typed and double-spaced. Each contestant may submit up to three poems in a contest year.

The entry form must be completed and included with the poem(s). Poems must be postmarked by May 1. Poems are non-returnable. No member may win first place two consecutive years. The first place winner will receive $50; second, third and fourth place winners will receive $30, $20 and $10 respectively. The winners will be featured in the August Torch.

Member’s Name:_________________________________________ Member No.:_________________

Chapter Name:____________________________________________Chapter No:_________________

Complete Address:_____________________________________________________________________

Poem Title(s):________________________________________________________________________

Entries must be original, unpublished photo submitted by Beta Sigma Phis in good standing. Your photo subject(s) may be any theme (Beta Sigma Phi related or non Beta Sigma Phi related). Photos may be in color or black and white, at least a 4x6 in size. Please submit a quality photo. Photo should be well lit, sharp, in focus, with a good contrast and subject should fill 80% of the area. No digital/e-mailed photos will be accepted. One non-returnable photo can be submitted per memeber.

The entry form must be completed and included with the photo. The entry must be postmarked by May 1. Do no write on photo please. No winner may win first place two consecutive years. The first place winner will receive $50; second, third and fourth place winners will receive $30, $20 and $10 respectively. The winners will be featured in the August Torch.

Member’s Name:_________________________________________ Member No.:_________________

Chapter Name:____________________________________________Chapter No:_________________

Complete Address:_____________________________________________________________________

Short Description of Photo Subject:_______________________________________________________

Poetry & Photo ContestDeadline: Postmarked by May 1st

All entries become the property of International and cannot be returned. International cannot be responsible for items lost in the mail.

Poetry Contest entry Form

Photo Contest entry Form

March/April 2014 The Torch 25An Inexpensive, International Lodging System. Sisters Offering Bed And Breakfast to Sisters.

Name A.C. and Home Phone No.

Address A.C. and Business Phone No.

City State/Providence Zip Code

Country Member No. Chapter No.

Yes!I WOULD LIKE TO OFFERBED AND BREAKFAST.

I understand that the fee is up to me, that it should be less than motels charge, and that I am free to say no when it is inconvenient to have overnight guests. Please sign me on!

Yes!

I understand that I am to make all arrangements. Please send me information on sisters offering bed and breakfast in the following areas:___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I AM INTERESTED INBED AND BREAKFAST.

(Please check one box )P

You are invited to stay at Maria's beautiful Log Home in Woodstock, GA on Lake Alla-toona. It is just 17 miles from historic Marietta Square, 25 minutes to downtown Atlanta,

and an hour from Dahlonega, GA. This fully furnished and private log home is located in a quiet neighborhood. It has a one slip dock on the lake, hot tub on

the back deck, fire ring in the fenced back yard, five car garage, four bedrooms, two and a half baths with wood

burning fireplace, hardwood floors on the main floor and wi-fi. The upstairs bedroom with queen bed and upstairs private bathroom are available for overnight guests and the other two upstairs bedrooms could

be made available. There is a small friendly Snoodle (Schnauzer/Poo-

dle) and two friendly kit-tens in the home – in case of allergies.

Our newest Bed and BreakfastWelcome to our newest hostess, Maria J. King of Georgia Kappa Chi, Woodstock


for Success 102 Learning: Career Preparation104 Career Rewards: Attitudes, Planning

and Achievement for Career Rewards 106 Life Management: Building a

Successful Support System108 Career and Life Planning: Marketing

Yourself and Your Skills for the Job Market

110 Effectively Asserting Yourself 114 Entrepreneurship 116 Starting Your Own Home-Based

Business 121 You and Your Environment: What Your

Efforts can Accomplish122 Getting Toxins Out of Your Home124 You and Your Environment: Organic



HOME204 Rewards Harvested from Family Life 207 Art In Our Houses: Uses of Art

Elements In the Home208 Home Planning: The House -

Architecture to Finance214 Walls: Decorative Treatment215 Textiles: Practical and Decorative

Uses In the Home217 Better Lighting: Lighting for Function

and Design218 Pictures and Mirrors: Their Uses In

Decoration219 Accessories In the Home: Reflections

of Ourselves222 Outdoor Living: Garden and Lawn

Decoration and Use223 Apartment: Decorating and Furninshing

for Comfort 224 Protecting Your Home: Security

Through Knowledge and Planning226 Rearranging Rooms for More Warmth

and Style 228 Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway):

The Ancient Art of Placement for Health and Healing


HEALTH301 Diet: Generalities of Healthful Diet303 Medicine: Exploring Your Interests306 Getting The Best Of

Stress307 Nutrition (for women

only!) 310 Pick Up Your Stamina

311 Walking 322 Healthy Homestyle: Soup327 Healthy Homestyle: Desserts 329 Healthy Homestyle: Vegetables You

Want to Eat331 Wines For All Times 334 Acupuncture 335 Water Aerobics340 Breast Cancer: Myths and Realities343 Women and Heart Disease344 Living With Diabetes345 Candle Comforts346 Rest and Relaxation Soiree

HUMAN RELATIONS400 Friendship: Finding, Developing,

Maintaining402 Service: The Need To Serve and

Its Rewards 403 Everyone A Teacher: Teaching As

A By-Product of Communications409 A Good Example: Study of A Role

Model For Morals and Customs413 Sign Language Basics 419 My Sister, My Friend421 Natural Remedies: Menopause 422 Natural Remedies: Preventing Osteoporosis424 Natural Remedies: Preventing Cancer426 Natrual Remedies: Keeping Your

Memory Sharp428 Natural Remedies: Wrinkles431 Natural Remedies: Backaches432 Natural Remedies: Allergies435 Facebook - Finding New Path To

Friendship

PERSONAL GROWTH501 Perception Of Beauty: Discovering

The Why Of Beauty505 Mental Enrichment: Modern Methods

For Fuller Lives509 Getting Established: Security Through

Understanding and Planning512 Private Speech: What Our Speech

Shows Us To Be514 Winning: How To Be A Winner In Life519 Happiness: What It Takes To Be Happy523 Your Personal Score: Relationship Of

What You Are and What You Expect Of Yourself

524 Perspective On Self: By Looking At A Modern Woman

525 Perspective On Self: Looking At AModern Man

529 Communicating Effectively To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem


546 Living History547 The Way We Were548 Women Alone

THE ARTS 601 Literature - Poetry: Enjoying Poetry

and Lyrics604 Drama - Theatre: Television, Stage

and Theatre For Fun 606 Popular Music: For Your Dancing

and Listening Pleasure 607 Creative Expression: Communications,

Fine Arts, Crafts As Forms Of Expression

608 The Art Of Photography 613 Antiques 620 Armchair Traveler: Sydney, Australia 621 Armchair Traveler: San Francisco622 Armchair Traveler: Rome623 Armchair Traveler: Athens, Greece

624 Armchair Traveler: London626 Armchair Traveler: Paris627 Armchair Traveler: New York628 Armchair Traveler: Jerusalem629 Armchair Traveler: Hong Kong 632 Packing For Travel Like A Pro634 Name This Baby-Boomer Tune635 Paper Making636 Photo Christmas Ornament637 Iris Folding

THE WORLD AROUND US 703 Religion: Generality and Effect706 History: Effect On and By Women710 Estate Planning: Planning for

Retirement and Beyond 716 The World Around Us: India and

Southwestern Asia717 The World Around Us: Eastern Europe728 The World Around Us: Canada



1001 Friendly Venture 1026 ABC’s Of Organizing Clutter1028 Our Chapter Remembers Our Years In

Beta Sigma Phi.1031 Beta Sigma Phi Jeopardy 1032 Diotima of Mantinea

732 How Well Do You Know Your Own City?733 Herbs 736 Chocolate 738 Wildflowers

748 Your “Significant Other” and You - Game

750 The Golden Age - Retiring in Style 751 From Spouse To Single - On Your

Own Again 752 Make Your Money Work For You 754 Finding Bucks For Your New Business -

SBA Loans 757 Genealogy759 Gateway to the World 764 Cats! 765 Dog-Gone Good!: Woman’s Best Friend 769 Staying Cool Under Pressure 772 Local Government: Stand Up

and Be Counted776 A History Of The U.S. Flag

778 Understanding a Little about Blindness780 A Taste of Italy781 Send Me A Postcard

LEISURE801 Hobbies: Sharing Your Interests 806 Memory Quilts 811 A Journal Of Self-Discovery Through

Writing: Recording Thoughts and Ideas820 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes:

Red Is For Courage821 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes:

Yellow Is For Vision 822 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes:

Blue Is For Humility

823 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes: Green Is For Fellowship

824 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes: Orange Is For Loyalty

825 Learning The Beta Sigma Phi Attributes: Violet Is For Service

828 Starting Your Own Book Club829 Dolls, Dolls, Dolls

ORIGINAL OUTLINES900 An Original Outline: Crafts901 An Original Outline: Current Events 902 An Original Outline: Women’s Concerns903 “We Are Shaped and Fashioned By

What We Love.”963 Hunting For Gems 985 Harvest Festivals989 Christmas 992 The Coffee Expert: Drink Up! -

Delicious Coffee Recipes993 What Person Has Had The Most

Influence In Your Life?994 If You Could Live In Any Period Of

History, Which Would You Choose? 996 When I Was In High School, People

Thought I Was....

998 The History Of Thanksgiving And Harvest Celebrations Around The World

999 Lipstick - From The Dark Ages To The 21st Century

BETA SIGMA PHI1000 Rushing

P r o g r a m O r d e r F o r m• Circle the numbers of the programs you want on this order form.• Please select no more than 18 programs.• Only one order form per chapter.• The chapter’s program chairperson retains a copy of your order.

Chapter Name Chapter Number

Program Chairperson Member Number

Address City, State, & Zip Code

Return to: Beta Sigma Phi International

PO Box 8500

Kansas City MO 64114-0500.

101 102 104 106 108 110 114 116121 122 124 126 204 207 208 214215 217 218 219 222 223 224 226228 233 301 303 306 307 310 311322 327 329 331 334 335 340 343344 345 346 400 402 403 409 413419 421 422 424 426 428 431 432435 501 505 509 512 514 519 523524 525 529 531 546 547 548 601604 606 607 608 613 620 621 622623 624 626 627 628 629 632 634635 636 637 703 706 710 716 717728 732 733 736 738 748 750 751752 754 757 759 764 765 769 772776 778 780 781 801 806 811 820821 822 823 824 825 828 829 900901 902 903 963 985 989 992 993994 996 998 999 1000 1001 1026 10281031 1032


for Success 102 Learning: Career Preparation104 Career Rewards: Attitudes, Planning

and Achievement for Career Rewards 106 Life Management: Building a

Successful Support System108 Career and Life Planning: Marketing

Yourself and Your Skills for the Job Market

110 Effectively Asserting Yourself 114 Entrepreneurship 116 Starting Your Own Home-Based

Business 121 You and Your Environment: What Your

Efforts can Accomplish122 Getting Toxins Out of Your Home124 You and Your Environment: Organic



HOME204 Rewards Harvested from Family Life 207 Art In Our Houses: Uses of Art

Elements In the Home208 Home Planning: The House -

Architecture to Finance214 Walls: Decorative Treatment215 Textiles: Practical and Decorative

Uses In the Home217 Better Lighting: Lighting for Function

and Design218 Pictures and Mirrors: Their Uses In

Decoration219 Accessories In the Home: Reflections

of Ourselves222 Outdoor Living: Garden and Lawn

Decoration and Use223 Apartment: Decorating and Furninshing

for Comfort 224 Protecting Your Home: Security

Through Knowledge and Planning226 Rearranging Rooms for More Warmth

and Style 228 Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway):

The Ancient Art of Placement for Health and Healing


HEALTH301 Diet: Generalities of Healthful Diet303 Medicine: Exploring Your Interests306 Getting The Best Of

Stress307 Nutrition (for women

only!) 310 Pick Up Your Stamina

311 Walking 322 Healthy Homestyle: Soup327 Healthy Homestyle: Desserts 329 Healthy Homestyle: Vegetables You

Want to Eat331 Wines For All Times 334 Acupuncture 335 Water Aerobics340 Breast Cancer: Myths and Realities343 Women and Heart Disease344 Living With Diabetes345 Candle Comforts346 Rest and Relaxation Soiree

HUMAN RELATIONS400 Friendship: Finding, Developing,

Maintaining402 Service: The Need To Serve and

Its Rewards 403 Everyone A Teacher: Teaching As

A By-Product of Communications409 A Good Example: Study of A Role

Model For Morals and Customs413 Sign Language Basics 419 My Sister, My Friend421 Natural Remedies: Menopause 422 Natural Remedies: Preventing Osteoporosis424 Natural Remedies: Preventing Cancer426 Natrual Remedies: Keeping Your

Memory Sharp428 Natural Remedies: Wrinkles431 Natural Remedies: Backaches432 Natural Remedies: Allergies435 Facebook - Finding New Path To

Friendship

PERSONAL GROWTH501 Perception Of Beauty: Discovering

The Why Of Beauty505 Mental Enrichment: Modern Methods

For Fuller Lives509 Getting Established: Security Through

Understanding and Planning512 Private Speech: What Our Speech

Shows Us To Be514 Winning: How To Be A Winner In Life519 Happiness: What It Takes To Be Happy523 Your Personal Score: Relationship Of

What You Are and What You Expect Of Yourself

524 Perspective On Self: By Looking At A Modern Woman

525 Perspective On Self: Looking At AModern Man

529 Communicating Effectively To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem


546 Living History547 The Way We Were548 Women Alone

THE ARTS 601 Literature - Poetry: Enjoying Poetry

and Lyrics604 Drama - Theatre: Television, Stage

and Theatre For Fun 606 Popular Music: For Your Dancing

and Listening Pleasure 607 Creative Expression: Communications,

Fine Arts, Crafts As Forms Of Expression

608 The Art Of Photography 613 Antiques 620 Armchair Traveler: Sydney, Australia 621 Armchair Traveler: San Francisco622 Armchair Traveler: Rome623 Armchair Traveler: Athens, Greece

624 Armchair Traveler: London626 Armchair Traveler: Paris627 Armchair Traveler: New York628 Armchair Traveler: Jerusalem629 Armchair Traveler: Hong Kong 632 Packing For Travel Like A Pro634 Name This Baby-Boomer Tune635 Paper Making636 Photo Christmas Ornament637 Iris Folding

THE WORLD AROUND US 703 Religion: Generality and Effect706 History: Effect On and By Women710 Estate Planning: Planning for

Retirement and Beyond 716 The World Around Us: India and

Southwestern Asia717 The World Around Us: Eastern Europe728 The World Around Us: Canada



NEW!

Submitted by: Chapter #:Chapter: Member #:Address:City/State / Zip:Date: Total No. of Points:

2013-2014 Chapter YardstickPL A N N I N G_____ Executive Board Meetings (10 pts. max)

10 points for meetings held as needed._____ Regular Meetings (18 pts. max)

1 point for each meeting._____ Attendance (12 pts. max)

10 points for percentage of attendance. Example: 7 points for70%, etc. Members on leave-of-absence and shut-ins not counted against percentage. 2 points for consistent system of notifying members of time and place of meetings.

_____ Finance (19 pts. max)10 points for preparation of chapter budget that limits the cost to an amount the members agree is not a burden to each member. 7 points for a major money-making project, 2 points for a minor project.

_____ Cooperation (44 pts. max)5 points for participation in City Council or executive coord-inating committee. 10 points for committee planning and handling preliminary details before meetings. 2 points for each month’s chapter minutes and report forms sent to International by the end of the month. 5 points for City Council participation.

_____Beta Sigma Phi Review (36 pts. max)3 points for each Book of Beta Sigma Phi month activity pursued. Alernatively, 3 points for each issue of The Torchreviewed (in print or online) or 3 points for Beta Sigma Phi web site review.

_____ Publicity (10 pts. max)5 points for each major project, 2 points for each minor project.

_____ Phone or Email (10 pts. max)5 points for having a phone or email tree to get the news out tochapter members.

_____ TOTAL (159 points possible)SO C I A L_____ Planned Social Calendar (30 pts. max)

30 points for planning the sorority year by September 1._____ Social Balance (60 pts. max)

5 points for each traditional social held (Founder’s Day, Beginning Day, etc.), 4 points for each informal social held. 10 points for city-wide social. 2 points for interchapter social.

_____ Attendance (10 pts. max)10 points for attendance of members at social functions. (10 points equals 100%, 7 points equals 70%, etc.)

_____ Time for a Good Time (18 pts. max)1 point per meeting, dining, and for allowing time to socialize.

_____ Sending Cards (5 pts. max)5 points for sending cards to members for occasions such as illness, birthday, etc...

_____ TOTAL (123 points possible)ME M B E R S H I P_____ Membership Plan (20 pts. max)

10 points for each rushing program._____ Pledge Training (36 pts. max)

2 points per pledge training session from Invitation to Life._____ Success (65 pts. max)

5 points for each pledge added to your chapter during the sorority year. 5 points for chapters with 10 - 20 members. 10 points for chapters with more than 20 members.

_____ Transfers and Reinstatements (20 pts. max)5 points for each member transferred into the chapter, each inactive member reinstated, and each member-at-large added.

_____ Progression (45 pts. max)5 points for each event encouraging progression to your chapter, 5 points for each eligible member that progresses to your chapter.

_____ TOTAL (186 points possible)

CU LT U R A L_____ Programs (36 pts. max)

2 points each for a formal program (30 minutes), 1 point each for an informal program (cultural outing). One program per meeting.

_____ Program Presentation (36 pts. max)2 points for a program presented by two or more members. One program per meeting.

_____ Chapter-Wide Discussion (18 pts. max)1 point for discussion guided by leader following the presentation, allowing each member’s participation.

_____ Audio-Visual Aids/Demonstrations (12 pts. max)1 point for each program in which audio-visual aids or demonstrations are used requiring participation by members (i.e., games, quizzes, etc.).

_____ Programs on the Shelf (20 pts. max)5 points for each program prepared for emergency use.

_____ TOTAL (122 points possible)BO N U S PO I N T S_____ Establishing a New Chapter (10 pts. max)

5 points for Friendly Venture reservation, 5 points for presentingBeta Sigma Phi to prospective members.

_____ Receive a FOUR-STAR RATING when your chapter completes a Friendly Venture!

_____ Wider Social Horizons (16 pts. max)10 points being a sponsoring chapter of a convention, area meeting or workshop, 2 points for representation at a convention,area meeting or workshop.

_____ Community Service or Cultural Event (15 pts. max)5 points for each major project, 2 points for each minor project.

_____ Chapter Assistance (20 pts. max)4 points for each active member serving as an advisor.

_____ Legacies and Sponsored Members(10 pts. max)1 point for each member who enrolls one or more in the Legacy or sponsored member program.

_____ Assisting Community Chapters (45 pts. max)15 points for assisting a small chapter with rushing or progressionactivities. 2 points for each personal recommendation of an out-of-town candidate, max. 20 points. 1 point each for contactingtransferees or prospective members for your chapter or intro-ducing them to another chapter, max. 10 points.

_____ Contest Entries (6 pts. max)1 point for each entry in any International contest.

_____ Member Survey (10 pts. max)10 points for surveying members’ interest.

_____ Envoys (10 pts. max)1 point per Envoy member.

_____ Theme (10 pts. max)10 points for implementing theme in chapter activities.

_____Volunteering (10 pts. max) Must designate you are a Beta Sigma Phi member

_____Online Hosting (10pts max) 1 point per occurrence. Visit to online chapter to make up a land chapter meeting.

_____TOTAL (172 points possible)

The Yardstick deadline is August 20, 2014.

Chapters who have Friendly Ventured during the2013-2014 year will earn a special four-star rating.

0 - 199 =200 - 299 =

300 points and above =Friendly Venture in 2013 - 2014 =

Return the Yardstick to your division chairmanat Beta Sigma Phi International, P.O. Box8500, Kansas City, Missouri 64114-0500.

NEW!NEW!


29

THREE EASY WAYS TO CONTACT US!

On-line E-mail

How to Become a Pen Pal? To sign up to be a pen pal, fill out the Pen Pal Form and return to Interna-tional, listing your interests. The deadline to get your entry to International is June 1st every year. If you are willing or want to have more than one pen pal at a time, please indicate that on the form.

Once you have been matched a Pen Pal Page will be mailed to you with your Pen Pal’s name, chapter name and location, address and other contact information as well as her interests. When you have your pen pals name and information it is up to you to start penning!

Just fill it out and you’re on your way!What with Facebook and email, finding (and keeping) a pen pal is easier than ever. We would love to match you with someone you share interests with, so fill out this form for us and send it or email it to The Torch by the June 1st deadline. We will find you the appropriate pen pal to connect with. Sign up, it is fun, and you never know, maybe there is a new best friend just out there waiting for you.

Name_________________________________________ Member Number____________________

Chapter Name_________________________________ Chapter Number____________________

Address____________________________________________________________________________

email____________________________________________________________________________

I want to have more than one Pen Pal! (Circle one) Yes -or- No Limit_____

Likes_____________________________________________________________________________

Dislikes____________________________________________________________________________

Hobbies & Interests_________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Personal (background, family, personality type, etc.)_____________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Pen Pal ProgramThe Pen Pal Program is a member-to-member program designed to connect mem-bers outside their chapter, their city, state or even country. International matches you with a member with similar interests. So sign up every sorority year to connect with someone new with whom you may share common interests, hobbies, sorority ideas and much more.

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P A Y M E N T M E T H O D :� Check or Money Order Enclosed

- Payment in U.S. Dollars Only -� Charge to My Credit Card:� Visa � Mastercard � Discover � American Express

Credit Card Account Number:

Expiration Date:

Signature:(Signature required for credit card orders)

Please complete the information below in ink. Allow one month for processing.

Name: Member Number:

New Address: E-Mail Address:

City: State/Province, Country: Zip/Postal Code:

Phone Number: ( ) Husband’s Name:

Name of Most Recent Chapter: Chapter Number:

Relocating to another City? � I would like to be contacted for a new chapter affiliation.

PHONE: 1-800-821-39898:30 am - 5 pm CST M-F

MAIL :Beta Sigma Phi GiftsPO Box 8500 Kansas City MO 64114-0500

I T E M S O R D E R E D :

Qty Item Number Description Unit Price Total Price

THREE EASY WAYS TO ORDER GIFTS!

SHIP TO:Name:

Address:

City:

State/Province: Zip:

Daytime Phone:

For Office Use Only: CHK M/O CSH

G____ O/M____ S/H____ Other____

NOTICE: PLEASE CHECK ORDERS PROMPTLY. NO RETURNS OR ADJUSTMENTS AFTER 90 DAYS.

Prices are in effect from August 1, 2013 until July 31, 2014.

A D D R E S S C H A N G E S

Chapter Number:

Chapter Name:

Date:

CVV#(3-4 digit security

code on card.)Shipping and handling is now calculated by weight. If payingby check or money order, call the Gifts Department for

shipping and handling charges. 1-800-821-3989

ONLINEwww.betasigmaphi.org/gifts

Let me introduce you to Mary, my 11-year-old English Setter. We are members of Prescription Pets, a non-profit organization that shares

the human-animal bond with medical patients in the northern California community. Mary and I found our niche visiting cli-

ents at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, CA. Mary thrives in the room-to-room, one-on-one visits. It’s not uncommon for Mary to sense a patient’s need for a little love. Once, we visited a woman who was near the end of her life. Mary, with

her innate sense, climbed up into bed, gen-tly laid her head on the woman’s lap and gazed into her eyes. The lady stroked Mary’s coat and matched her gaze. Another time, a young man in his late twenties who suf-

fered from kidney problems recognized the breed, said her name, and that’s all it took for Mary to make her way into his arms. We completed a training course to become

hospice volunteers, and we hope to con-tinue to spread a little sunshine.

PERIODICALMAIL

The Torchof Beta Sigma Phi(USSN 0888-8930)

P.O. Box 8500Kansas City, MO

64114-0500

For Canada:P.O. Box 122

Niagara Falls, ONL2E 6S4

We Love Our Pets! By Gail Roueche California Laureate Beta, Sacramento

the - beta sigma phii want to remind you to save the date for the beta sigma phi international...

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