Red Dress Gala Raises $48,000 to fight the #1 killer in women, heart disease

I had the most incredible opportunity to serve as guest speaker for the Alpha Phi Red Dress Gala at ASU! What an experience that I will never forget! The hospitality extended to me from the sisters of the Gamma Pi Chapter at Arizona State University was more than I could have ever dreamed of! You ladies will always have a special place in my HEART!

All proceeds (a whopping $48,000 raised in one evening) from the Red Dress Gala will benefit the Alpha Phi Foundation, the Heart Foundation. A nonprofit organization, the Foundation is the philanthropic partner of Alpha Phi International Fraternity, one of the oldest national sororities. The Foundation empowers women to give. Funds raised help to improve women’s heart health, support our sisters in need, and educate about the value of philanthropy with a priority to support programs that study heart disease and its treatments in women.

With Katelyn. What an amazing young woman. She took care of me the entire weekend. She was in charge of booking my travel arrangements, my hotel and made sure I was treated like a sister and a queen! Thank you Katelyn! AOE

With Alpha Phi Sister, Emily Johnson…also a former competitor in the Miss Teen International Pageant! Such a joy meeting this amazing young woman!

More about our sisterhood…Alpha Phi’s are leaders, scholars, contributors, lifetime members of a sisterhood that value these traits. Alpha Phi is a sisterhood of outstanding women supporting one another in lifelong achievement, a sisterhood that values the past but looks forward to the progress and promise of the future. We are dedicated to promoting sisterhood, cultivating leadership, encouraging intellectual curiosity and advocating service. Alpha Phi develops character for a lifetime!!!

I shared with the 400+ in attendance how Alpha Phi helped develop my character for a lifetime, instilled in me impeccable leadership abilities, loyalty, service, and love for others. It helped lay a foundation of service and a spark to help others and the world around me.

Today, the Alpha Phi spirit is alive and well in me…a pioneering spirit, a commitment to excellence, and the strong desire to help others…these are some of the qualities I gained as an Alpha Phi!

I’m so glad I never stopped living the Alpha Phi Mission! As Mrs. International, I am devoting my year of service to help others build their families through the miracle of Adoption…in hopes that my own adoption story will give them hope and inspire them to never give up on their dreams of building a family. I am also supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Movement! Come to think of it, it’s a perfect fit…the Joy of Giving and still living the Alpha Phi Mission as Mrs. International 2010. Alpha Phi’s Foundation is the “Heart Foundation” fighting the #1 disease in women and the International Pageants has the national alliance with Go Red to do the exact same thing!

During my presentation, I shared with the ladies that heart disease remains the #1 killer of women taking 1 in 3 women each year…approximately one woman every minute!!!

I encouraged them and I encourage YOU to take a strong stance against heart disease. Make it your mission to stop the #1 killer by empowering other women to take care of their hearts. 80% of cardiac events in women can be prevented by making the right choices for their hearts! I challenge each one of you to lead by example! Use your voice, share your story, GO RED, make heart healthy choices and you can HELP SAVE LIVES!

Get Inspired, Take Action Today…Save Lives!

AOE,

Shannon