Will you know everyone at the 20th reunion in 2008?

STILL UNDECIDED ABOUT THE FLING, NOW JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY?

ENVISION FOR A MOMENT WHAT HOMECOMING WILL BE LIKE this year at Bloomsburg. Unlike the past when a Phi Sig presence wasn't strong (OK, some years nonexistent), this year will be different. We'll have an alumnae gathering. Collegians will know who's in their family line and be eager to meet you. They'll have twice as much money to devote to their float – and, perhaps for the first time in nearly a decade, a sizable number of alumnae will be there. We'll begin the road to 2008, when -- at Homecoming -- we'll celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sorority's founding. We'll be in a new high-profile house, right off campus. And you can bet if we have a say in it, the University will recognize the occasion somehow, too.

How many sisters will you know when the time comes? If you're like me, today, you wouldn't know that many. Maybe the girls you went to school with. Maybe a few in your family line.

The FUN-raising FLING this June 11 is a chance to meet women who've shared what you loved about our Phi Sig experience, who've shared your pain in keeping this baby afloat all these years and who are involved in so many great activities and careers that, collectively, we truly can make a difference in our little corner of the world.

Frankly, I'm amazed and impressed with the caliber of women I'm communicating with, almost on a daily basis now: presidents of companies, lawyers, devoted mothers and volunteers, HR executives, entrepreneurs and teachers galore. They've begun telling me their stories. And they are inspiring, interesting women. I only wish I'd known them all along.

Just the other day, I spoke with one sister (our chapter's only "legacy," in fact) whose boyfriend's in the military; he's about to be shipped overseas. Imagine being her for a moment.... I certainly did. And I immediately I thought: care package. It's a small gesture, for our little chapter to send something to the man she loves, serving our country in a far-away place filled with harsh realities. But it'll mean the world to her. She should know we care and, in our way, that we're *there* for her, shouldn't she? The FLING will help fund that. That's a tangible benefit to being a sister. It's an example of what we envision the future for the association can be.

I've spent the better part of 20 years trying to figure out what worthy cause to put my time and effort into. I traveled thousands of miles and worked in numerous jobs, volunteered for dozens of causes and moved more than I can remember -- only to come home, literally bump into our sorority again and realize IT'S ALL HERE. It's always been here – in the confines of this chapter we built and cared for and cursed about and dreamed someday would become something more.

WE have the ability to help women achieve their potential (as important now as ever), donate to local causes they care about, assist students as they transition from teens into adults, be there for sisters in need. WE can touch lives, make a difference. We *all* yearn for that to some extent, right? And the thing is, we have it. We had it all along. That's what the FLING is kicking off: an association, a greater awareness of the chapter's full potential for past and present sisters.

If you can make it to the June 11 social, you'll start plugging into this great, untapped network of wonderful women who share a common, formative bond with you. Worried you won't know anyone? You'll know me (via e-mail if nothing else!), and that's a start. Plus, I can personally promise you that, of the women I know who are going, you won't have a problem striking up conversations and having fun. At least five of them will come up and introduce themselves! (They never were shrinking violets -- ladies, you know who you are!) :-)

To reserve a ticket, write me back at this address ASAP. I'll send specific details then.

If you truly can't make it, we'll miss you! And we'll be sure to keep you in the loop so that, when 2008 rolls around, you'll be ready to take your rightful place in the celebration of our little chapter and its long-overdue revitalization. You got us to where we are today. You deserve to reap the rewards of that hard work!

Warmest regards,

Lisa R.