DELTA GAMMA
the university of texas
Service For Sight
Delta Gamma’s national philanthropy is Service for Sight, an organization dedicated to helping those with visual impairments. Through Service for Sight, the Delta Gamma Foundation has funded schools for students with specialized learning needs due to visual impairments. Additionally, the Foundation has funded genetic research, low-vision adaptive devices, tapes, Braille brooks, and other life-enhancing programs.
Beta Eta also has had a longstanding relationship with the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI), which is located just blocks away from campus. TSBVI is “home” for many students from all across the state. Not only do students live and go to school at TSBVI, they grow as individuals, excel in athletics, and build the necessary skills to go on to college and enter the workforce.
Our goal is to touch their lives in a positive way and assist in their social development. In the process, we also grow as individuals, as leaders, and as lifelong members of Delta Gamma.
Contact Madsie Sheller (txdgfoundation@gmail.com) for any questions on Service for Sight!
Anchor Games
Each year, the Beta Eta chapter of Delta Gamma hosts two major charity events, Anchor Splash© and Anchor Slam. Both events are fundraisers for the Delta Gamma Foundation and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI).
The goal for these events is to raise awareness of blindness within the Austin community and throughout campus. We work towards raising as much money as possible to donate to the Delta Gamma Foundation and to our local philanthropy, TSBVI, in order to make the biggest impact in our community as possible.
Contact Alice Kate Scafide and Veronica Furnish, directors of Anchor Games, for any questions about Anchor Splash, Anchor Bash, or Anchor Slam.
Lectureship & Fundraising
In celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, Dr. Paul Martin honored his wife Dorothy “Dotty” Garrett Martin, Eta-Akron, by establishing the Delta Gamma Lectureships in Values and Ethics. The purpose of lectureship was “to establish a venue on college campuses where values and ethics could be discussed in an open format.” Paul and Dotty’s alma mater and the home of Delta Gamma’s oldest active collegiate chapter, The University of Akron, was the site of the inaugural lectureship. Today, there are 20 college campuses with a lectureship, one in progress and a Convention lectureship.
The Delta Gamma Foundation Lectureship in Values and Ethics at The University of Texas at Austin was established in 2002. Our endowment gift to the university in 2002 was the largest of its kind given by any Greek organization. The Delta Gamma Foundation Lectureship in Values and Ethics at The University of Texas at Austin gives a platform to inspirational leaders to share their stories with the community. Beta Eta’s speakers have included:
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Carl Bernstein - The Washington Post journalist, famed for exposing the Watergate scandal
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Jerry Greenfield - Co-Founder of Ben and Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.
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Mia Hamm - Two-time Olympic gold medalist for women’s soccer and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion
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Lois Jenson - Nationally esteemed attorney, famous for winning the first class action sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States
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Shawn Johnson - Olympic gold medalist for women’s gymnastics, inducted into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame with the 2007 World’s Team
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Paul Rusesabagina - International humanitarian and the real-life hero from Hotel Rwanda (2007)
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Collins Tuohy - Sister of NFL football legend Michael Oher, made from from the film The Blind Side (2009)
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Jeannette Walls - New York Times best-selling author of The Glass Castle, a memoir about Ms. Walls’ childhood
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Sarafina Nance - An American science communicator, astrophysicist & Ph.D. student, and a Beta Eta Alumna
Delta Gamma funds the Lectureship Series through their beloved fundraiser, Dessert With DG.
Hosted once a semester at the Delta Gamma house, Dessert With DG is an event in which Beta Eta members provide delicious desserts to hungry midnight prowlers. The desserts are provided partially through donations from popular local eateries and partially through homemade donations by the DGs themselves. Since it is held from 10 to 2 in the morning, Dessert With DG has proven to be especially popular amongst UT students.
Beta Eta will host The Delta Gamma Foundation Lectureship in Values and Ethics at The University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 2023. Please feel free to contact Caroline Ashley, Director of Lectureship, with any questions.