By Erin McElwee Staff writer
In the month of September, the sisters of Kappa Delta celebrated International Women’s Friendship Month. The month included events and activities meant to instill confidence and inspire all females on the Susquehanna campus.
In 1999, Kappa Delta created National Women’s Friendship Day. It was from this that International Women’s Friendship Month was created and celebrated each September.
The Susquehanna chapter of Kappa Delta runs a major event during the month, known as the “You Make Me Smile Campaign.” The event includes handing out balloons with inspirational messages to female members of the Susquehanna community.
The chapter also wrote inspirational chalk messages around campus on sidewalks and walkways.
Senior member of Kappa Delta Dana Linsky said that the balloon campaign is something she really enjoys.
“My favorite part of the month is our confidence balloons. We write empowering and positive words on balloons and pass them out on campus,” Linsky said. “We are hoping to brighten the days of women on our campus.”
The national headquarters of Kappa Delta also created a social media campaign for women everywhere to share their important friendship moments, promoting it with the hashtags #IWFM16 and #FriendshipUnscripted on Instagram and Twitter.
It is the hope of the Kappa Delta women that the month has an impact on the women of Susquehanna. Senior Kappa Delta member Maggie Crann believes the month is important for all women in the Susquehanna community.
“I feel like instilling confidence in others is very important,” Crann said. “Every girl deserves to feel like an important component to this campus, and every girl should be encouraged to always be the best version of herself.”
Past events have included Twitter competitions, where any woman in the United States could post a picture of herself and her best friend for the chance to win a trip to Disney.
Overall, the sisters of Kappa Delta hope the month reminds the women on Susquehanna’s campus that they are strong and that their friendships are important.
“The purpose of this month is to encourage women to remember the importance of a friend and the role the friend plays in their life,” Linsky said.
“This month greatly impacted me as a person, as I was able to branch out of my comfort zone. I am more confident in myself and feel stronger as a person,” she added.