For Gamma Pi, UPLIFT Over the Holidays Means Thanksgiving Baskets and Christmas Toys

                                    Information contributed by Brother Mel White

The Brothers of Gamma Pi have been on the move during the Holiday Season helping bring good cheer and tangible holiday gifts to some of Prince George’s County’s most needy residents in communities where the chapter has anchored much of its work.

The work began on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, November 24, with the delivery of close to 100 complete turkey dinners to seniors in the Windsor Crossing complex in Suitland, Md. Each dinner consisted of a 12-14 lb turkey, mixed vegetables, green beans, candied yam patties, and a sweet potato pie. The Brothers of the Super Chapter joined by Friendship Charities Foundation, the brothers from Lambda Gamma Gamma chapter and local students. You cannot imagine the looks on the faces of residents who answered the knock at their door to large packages of Thanksgiving meals ready-to-cook. Because the turkeys are purchased frozen, the two-day lead time is perfect for the seniors to prepare their Thanksgiving dinner.

Precisely a week later, Gamma Pi Brothers helped get families ready for Christmas by sponsoring the annual Christmas Toy Drive for the Suitland community, held December 1 at Suitland Elementary School. Again, Gamma Pi joined forces with Lambda Gamma Gamma and the Friendship Charities Foundation to give away some 100 toys for boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 13.

As many people know, Royal Purple and Old Gold are the colors representing Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. For this reason, the only red and white in the house was that worn by Santa Claus, who, as always, delighted the youth by making his list and checking it twice with the young children who shared their Christmas Wish Lists with him.Happy Holidays from The Super Chapter!!

(thanks to Brothers Don Cook, Tony Kelley and Raphael Terrell for the photos) 

Click here for additional photos from Bro. Terrell

Gamma Pi Gazette - Newsletter - Summer 2015

Gamma Pi Gazette - Newsletter - Summer 2015

Gamma Pi Gives Local Disadvantaged Youth an Early Start to School

Full house for Back To School Event 

Summer is short. It seems like just a few weeks ago that Prince George's County students were saying their goodbyes as the school year came to a close. Now the doors are opening again on Tuesday, August 25. But on Saturday, the Super Chapter helped students and parents in the Kentland Community get a head start on success in the upcoming school year with a standing room only Back To School event that included a Backpack and School Supplies Giveaway.

The Kentland Community Center was packed. All the seats were taken. Young children and parents stood along the back wall of the room, peering over each others' heads to see. They were there to receive not just the much-needed free supplies, but to take in the special messages of inspiration and aspiration that were dished out by members of Gamma Pi -- including one school principal from the chapter -- and of the other partnering organizations. Those organizations were Sisters4Sisters and a local chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

Partnering for Success

Brothers handing out the supplies 

Even though it was a backpack giveaway,. the underlying purpose was to give students in one of the most economically depressed areas of the county a running start on the school year. The program served to educate and motivate both parents and students to do their best and strive for the top this coming academic year. The emphasis was on parents and students working together for success. So many parents are not involved in their child's education. The Kentland Community is the home of Gamma Pi's Que KidzDayz program that provides fitness, health and cultural to youth from Kentland one Saturday each month.many of Saturday';s participants were from Que Kidz Dayz.

About 200 people attended today's very successful event. In addition to the backpacks, book bags and supplies, students and parents were treated to energetic and moving motivational speeches by Gamma Pi Brothers: Reggie Picket, Damian Goins and Donald Belle.

Brother Pickett brought a strong uplifting message of self-awareness and self-esteem to the students, telling them they were "very important people and you matter. You are just as important as the President of the United States. I am here today to talk to the most important people in the world and that is you.You are world-changers." Brother Pickett, a minister, related the story of being put in the lowest reading group in elementary school and being told he would become "nothing." He talked about how his other would never give up on him,"even after I messed up," and by middle school he had been moved to the Talented and Gifted program.

Gamma Pi men pose with Que Kidz Dayz youth

Brother Goins, an elementary school principal, challenged parents and students to get engaged and stay engaged throughout the school year. He had some strong advice to parents: if students are not pulling their load at school, they should feel a difference in the amenities they have access to at home. And finally, parents should realize they are failing theri children if theyhave "bigger TV's than libraries" at home. "Is the TV in your house larger than your kid's library? If you have a 50-inch screen and your son or daughter has less than 50 books at home, then who's failing?"

Bro. Belle, who is a science coordinator for the Prince George's County Schools, talked about his program as well as an upcoming camping expedition at the county's Camp Schmidt location. The Brothers managed to both excite and educate the crowd. It is clear that nobody does it like Gamma Pi.

A Full Slate of Activities

In addition to the inspirational messages, the community enjoyed a spiritual-focused magic show by The Wonder House Unlimited mother-daughter team, information about county school activities and programs, face painting for the kids and lots of hot dogs, chips and even cotton candy. It was a festive atmosphere that the children will never forget.

The highlight for many of the attendees was an abbreviated "hop show"put on by three of the most recent members to enter Omega Psi Phi through Gamma Pi: Kevin Ford, Jr., Wilbur H. Lucas III and David Jackson. During the step routines, they drew a standing ovation and attracted a few "copycats" in the audience in the process..

Once again, Gamma Pi scores a touchdown for Omega Psi Phi's legendary commitment to Scholarship! Congratulations to Brothers Orlando McDowell, Kevin Greenwood and the entire Que Kidz Dayz crew for planning an outstanding event. Check out these short video clips below.

Click on the Shutterfly link to access 24 additional photos from Bro. Raphael Terrell: Shutterfly Photos

Stay tuned for more by following our Facebook page.

Bro Reggie Pickett on Having Good Self-Esteem

Bro. Damion Goins Talks About joint Parental-Student Responsibility

Carolyn White-Washington of Sisters4Sisters comments on the success

of the event and on working with Gamma Pi

Gamma Pi Plants More Seeds of Hope at Cheltenham Youth Facility on Father's Day Weekend

Gamma Pi Brothers gathered outside the facility
 (photo by Bro Raphael Terrell)

Father's Day weekend turned out to be special for some of the most forgotten and overlooked young males in the DMV area who are locked away from mainstream society. At a time when fathers are looking forward to spending time with their own children and grandchildren, the men of Gamma Pi struck out from home early on the morning of June 20, the day before Father's Day, and headed inside the closed Cheltenham Youth Facility to interact with the young men being held there as juvenile offenders.

For many of the youth, it was as close as they would ever come to being with their fathers on Father's Day. As in recent years since the project started, Gamma Pi used the visit to share knowledge with the incarcerated young men about how to look at their detention as a new starting point to dream, build and conduct productive lives in the larger community when they get the opportunity to leave the facility. It was an opportunity to show them how to "man up" about their lives and take responsibility.

This staged image was used to generate discussion
about perception and stereotypes at Cheltenham on June 20

Because the young men are in a secured facility with armed guards, entry is restricted. No cameras or recording equipment are allowed on the property. Once inside, the electronic gates topped with barbed wire are slammed shut behind the visitors just like the penal facilities we see on TV. The youth are housed in a collection of small cottages behind the iron perimeter gates where the doors are locked to outside entry and exit and all activities take place under the watchful eye of the guards.

Brothers could not just walk into the Cheltenham yard. Each member of the chapter involved in the project had to pass through a security checkpoint individually, shedding phones and electronics, much like boarding an airplane. After all, many of the youth have been brought in on violent offenses, so it is not like visiting young men at your neighborhood recreation center. Many of the young men are judged incorrigible. But to the Brothers of Gamma Pi, it is about hope and never giving up on anyone, especially on young black males, who make up the large majority of Cheltenham's population which in many respects mirrors the adult male prison population.

On a day when The Super Chapter had its monthly chapter meeting and annual elections, the Brothers arose and met at Cheltenham at 7:45 a.m. to start the day.

Image from PowerPoint

Gamma Pi men are realistic about the experience and know that even in a daylong series of information sessions and discussions, lives cannot be turned around, But if the right words are said to catch the attention of just one individual, the process of rehabilitation can begin, not just for that one young man but perhaps others who are observing as well.

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The theme for this year's visit was "Perception." More specifically, the young men, as young as age 13,  were asked how they thought they were viewed by the outside world. The question was posed to the young men in a PowerPoint presentation that kicked off a discussion about self-image and self pride. Led by Brother Otis Fowler, who has headed the excursion in the past couple of years, Gamma PI Brothers, more than 50 strong in attendance, displayed a series of negative images to the youth to get reactions from them about how perception works.

What do people see when they meet well-dressed black men?

"We talked about how an image can be viewed from different perspectives and the meaning or thoughts generated can be totally different. Also, this presentation examined a few stereotypes and then asks the questions:  What do you see when you see people? What do people see when they see you?," said Brother Fowler, who was bestowed Gamma Pi's Founders' Award at the Achievement Week observance in November.

"I think these young men have a different idea of what manhood is, and we offer them a better description of what manhood is and should be. We don't have to wear a suit and tie to be a better definition of what manhood is and should be."

The chapter may have gotten the young men to sit up and take notice with jaw-dropping statistics about crime and violence: African American make up 13% of the population but commit more than half of all murders and 93% of black murder victims are killed by other blacks.

Another image used in discussion

The Cheltenham effort began in 2011 as a joint effort of Gamma Pi and other local fraternity chapters as well as the Groove Phi Groove social fellowship. Brothers Greg Crawley and Terry Rogers, who served as Social Action chairman at the time, spearheaded the inaugural effort. As the years have gone by, Gamma Pi has taken on the Cheltenham project single-handedly.

Clearly, there is a need for the project: "I can't count the number of times I heard from Brothers that we MUST come out more than once a year," said Brother Fowler. "I have already begun discussions with the staff at Cheltenham for us to visit more often.  I'll be forming a committee to develop discussion topics, events and other activities, I'll be calling on Brothers for support!"

Bro Fowler receiving the 2014 Founders' Award


Watch the "5 Minutes with Gamma Pi" video below on The Cheltenham Project by Bro. Courtland Smith

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