Giving Support to the March of Dimes

Many people rolled over in their beds this morning when the alarm went off. After all, it was Saturday. No work. No school. No schedule to keep. But for many of the men from Gamma Pi chapter, today was a day to show up and be counted as a way of reaching out to the local Prince George's County community. About 30 Brothers from the chapter showed up and showed out at Watkins Regional Park today to grill, prepare and serve breakfast and lunch to more than 300 people who participated in the annual March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon. The chapter pulled double duty at the event by also manning the various checkpoint stations scattered along the walking course, offering water to walkers.

Today's work for the March of Dimes is part of Gamma Pi's ambitious Social Action agenda.
"They know they can count on us to handle this. They basically leave this portion up to us. They say, 'just do what you do.' This isn't even a mandated event for Omega Psi Phi, but it is for the Alphas and the Zetas and we outnumbered them," said Brother Steven Walls, longtime organizer of the event for Gamma Pi. Activities began at 7 a.m. and Walls and many of the Brothers arrived much earlier -- at the crack of dawn -- to ready the grills and the food. By noon, the Walk-A-Thon crowd had largely cleared out.

Gamma Pi doesn't participate in the actual walking activity, but the chapter is responsible for bringing the event to the county some 15 years ago after it was initially set up in neighboring Charles County. "They've been trying to get us to get a (walk) team together for Gamma Pi. I heard one of the neophytes is talking about putting together a team."

If you didn't make today's activity, visit the March of Dimes on the Web and offer your support. In the short video clip below, Brothers take a few minutes to relax and clown around a bit after the work is done.

Blast from the Past: Words from Bro. Luther Burse, Ph.D.

You don't get to be a distinguished 50-year member by sitting on the sidelines. A young Gamma Pi neophyte, Brother Marcus Whitfield, was reading some of his father's back isues of The Oracle and came across an article on Black Inventors penned in the 1970s and published by Bro Dr. Luther Burse. The article (complete with photo) is available here. At the time, Bro. Burse was at Cheyney State in Pennsylvania. The Grand Basileus was Brother Marion Garnett (of Chicago) and Current Grand Basileus Bro. Warren Lee was Second Vice Grand Basileus. The Second District Representative was Bro. Theodore Greer of Newark, Delaware. Interestingly, Bro. James Avery of New Jersey was the Immediate Past Grand Basileus. Omega history can be quite interesting, whether it is the Fraternity's history, a chapter's history or the history of an individual Brother. Read this and you will see how Brothers over the years attain their wisdom and collect so many "friends" in Omega -- from staying involved and contributing throughout their Omega career, which is lifelong.

Ernest E. Just Statue A Reality Now

by Brother Wesley Jarmon

On March 18, 2009, at the Governor's Cabinet Meeting with the Board of Public Works, it was announced that the Ernest Everett Just Foundation, Inc. will receive funds up to $150,000 for the creation and erection of a statue bearing the likeness of Dr. Ernest Everett Just that will be permanently placed on the campus of Ernest Everett Just Middle School located at 1300 Campus Way North, Mitchellville, MD. (which is also in Prince George's County.) The action that will follow the March 18 meeting will trigger letters to the Foundation immediately (from the Governor and the Board of Public Works) that will indicate how the disbursement of funds will be handled. Please activate the document below from the URL sent by Brother Sen. Ulysses Currie and look at page 14 of 17 (item listed as #15-CGL) to see this public works item listed as an item for consideration. http://www.bpw.state.md.us/static_files/meetings/3-18-2009.pdf

Visit Ernest E. Just Middle School on the Web:
http://www1.pgcps.org/ernesteverettjust/

"Reach One, Teach One" - Gamma Pi Shows Youths Path to College

On any given Saturday morning, many people find it an opportune time to sleep in and catch some extra winks. Those who do wake up from their sleep during the early hours of Saturday morning often find it a perfect time to remain in a state of half-dress and sip on coffee and read a newspaper while enjoying not having to battle with the daily commute to work -- at least for a couple days. But a small knot of men from Gamma Pi chapter see one Saturday a month as a great time to help some of Prince George's County's young high school students find the right road to academic success and college.

Since its recent revival by Brother Roland Byrd, Project ENRICH has continued to gain momentum and change young lives. It is so well-recognized, many "graduates" from years past come back at the closing ceremony to pay homage to the program for having made a difference in their lives.

Early today, the Public Relations Committee visited with the program to get a sense for how things are going in the 2008-09 academic year. No question, Project ENRICH is on a roll. Project ENRICH is fascinating to observe. You get an overwhelming sense of satisfaction from seeing the expressions on the faces of students and even some of the parents and guardians who accompany them to the Saturday sessions. You can feel the surge of confidence and knowledge flowing into each student from talks given by chapter Brothers in higher education and other walks of life.

This morning, those in attendance learned how to compute Grade Point Average; which schools (including HBCUs) attract the most National Achievement Scholars; the low college enrollment rate of Black males; and seniors, who were pulled to the side in a separate room, were given useful advice about what they ought to be thinking about as they head towards graduation and life "on their own" as college freshmen. Project ENRICH offers one of the strongest connections to our youth of any program the chapter has ever developed. It is a model beyond Gamma Pi chapter.

One other observation about Projct ENRICH -- it feels like school. Students are required to sign-in, get some refreshments and head toward the classrooms. One of the leading lecturers is Gamma Pi's Dr. Franklin Chambers, the new Vice President of Student Affairs at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Brother Dr. Chambers spent more than a decade in a high-ranking post at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Brother Pete Ford coordinated today's sessions for Brother Byrd.

About 12 Gamma Pi Brothers, including Basileus Maurice Calhoun, were at this morning's session. Project ENRICH is held at Bowie State's Thurgood Marshall Library the first Saturday of each month during the school year.

At least 100 students have signed up this year, but the chapter is looking for even more participation going forward. Students must enter the program in the ninth grade and continue through their remaining high school career to complete the program. Thanks to Gamma Pi's Dr. Mickey L. Burnim, President of Bowie State, and the entire school for allowing Gamma Pi to make use of a campus facility to reach out to aspiring African American college students in Prince George's County. Below are some sights and sounds from today's program. Scholarship ... Uplift ...