Our History

Our founding Charlotte alumnae sisters came together to form first the Association organized September 18, 1973 and then the Chapter, March 14, 1992. Since that time, the Charlotte Chapter has grown from 12 charter members to approximately 425 Delta Gammas who live in the Greater Charlotte Area. Our chapter has averaged 50 dues paying members per year since 1992.

Just as Charlotte has changed and grown over the decades; so has Delta Gamma. In 1973, Alice Voss Gaines established an alumnae association with 12 charter members. In 1992, seventeen women, led by Lisa Cawley, President, moved to become a chapter instead of an association. This had immediate benefits in that Charlotte would now have a seat at Convention. Our chapter has won many awards, such as Ritual, Programming, and has completed the Biennium Challenge. It also provided local alumnae an opportunity to meet more frequently because chapters had more meetings than associations.

Over the years, Charlotte alumnae have contributed to the community by supporting newly colonized chapters from afar, donating and volunteering at the Metrolina Association for the Blind, and by faithfully contributing money to our own Delta Gamma Foundation. In 2005, our chapter brought Art of the Eye II to the Storrs Gallery at UNC Charlotte and raised a total of over $5,000 for Metrolina Association for the Blind, Southeastern Guide Dogs, and the Delta Gamma Foundation. Our Art of the Eye II circular in the Charlotte Observer reached several hundred thousand people; it included articles about eye health, our exhibit, and the local agencies benefiting from the proceeds. We also provided educational opportunities for students to learn more about sight through the Charlotte Observers Newspapers in Education program.