NALFO organizations raise nearly $13,000 for 4th Annual Penny Drive for St. Jude Children Research Hospital

May 21, 2007…In its 4th consecutive year, the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) and its affiliate members partnered in their "Quest for a Million Pennies" to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a 10 week period. The participating organizations surpassed its goal of $10,000 and almost raised $13,000.

In contrast to years past, a record 12 organizations joined the campaign, which allowed for great success in surpassing the target goal. St. Jude Children Research Hospital representatives are grateful to NALFO for working diligently in making this campaign a success”, stated Betty Diaz, Project Leader & Director of Community Service for Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (OPBSI). Furthermore, “we were very excited to work with our fellow Latino Greeks on a cause that directly benefits children. Every year the Penny Drive grows exponentially. When all of our organizations unite towards a common goal there is no limit to what we can accomplish. It has been an honor to have participated in this endeavor for a few years now and see the number of participating organizations grow as well as the amount we have contributed more then double. We look forward to helping St. Jude's in their fight against childhood diseases”, says Joanne Ramirez, Community Service Officer of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc.

The closing ceremonies for the penny drive campaign consisted of 2 events on both coasts. On May 2nd, NALFO-EAST held a spoken word forum at NYC’s Habibi Lounge, whereas NALFO-WEST hosted the traditional bowl-a-thon on May 16, 2007 at AMF Mar Vista Lanes in Los Angeles, CA. Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc. won first place in the Fraternity and Sorority categories, respectively. “Having the bowlathon event in the West coast for the first time gave us the opportunity to come together and close the efforts and hard work of raising for St. Jude's with a night of fun!” says Alejandro Pineda, National President, Board of Directors for Gamma Zeta Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Those in attendance were fortunate to enjoy the festivities meanwhile supporting a great cause that culminated in a donation shy of $13,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. "We are so proud of NALFO and its affiliate organizations for their continued support and dedication to the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Their efforts are giving our patients hope for a brighter and healthier future!” stated Beth Desai, a rep from St. Jude Children Research Hospital.

Inspired by the collective achievement of NALFO, Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. recently joined the initiative by establishing a fundraising platform at their summer national convention in June. The top three fundraisers consisted of Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity, Inc., Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, and Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. that comprised of 55% of the grand collection total. Eriberto Del Valle, National Director of Community Affairs stated “Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc. was very excited in being able to participate for the first time on the NALFO Penny Drive for St. Jude’s. The fraternity was able to use the full capacity of 96 chapters to come together and raise money for a great cause. We were able to raise a large amount of money due to the great job done by the chapters.”

“The selfless acts of our collective memberships were inspirational to say the least. The success of this initiative will become the platform for future endeavors as we [NALFO] continue to embrace our motto of ‘Greek Unity’ to defy all obstacles that threaten our diverse communities. I sincerely applaud the national leadership of all participating organizations, most notably our project leader -Betty Diaz- for her superior effort duly noted in our collective achievement!” stated Mauricio Benavides, La Unidad Latina / Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., Director of Community Service.

NALFO members that participated: Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc., Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority, Inc., Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority/Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc., Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc., Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc., Gamma Zeta Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc., Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc., La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc.

The Hospital is unlike any other pediatric research and treatment facility of its kind. Due to its innovative scientific research, its discoveries have revolutionized the field of medicine concerning treatment of cancer and other catastrophic diseases in children. As such, in the shared vision of St. Jude and NALFO, we continue to raise funds and awareness for this notable cause. The generosity of all participants will allow for St. Jude to continue its significant role as the 3rd largest healthcare charity facility that ensures the treatment of all patients, without regard for the families’ ability to pay. For further information regarding our benefactor, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and to donate and/or volunteer please visit www.StJudes.org.

The purpose of NALFO is to promote and foster positive inter-fraternal relations, communication, and development of all Latino Fraternal organizations through mutual respect, leadership, honesty, professionalism and education. www.Nalfo.org

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