Association History
You have to know where you’ve been to know where you are going. Kappa holds a special place in its heart for Fraternity history, but every association of our organization has unique beginnings of its own. Each plays a part in shaping us today and continuing the Kappa tradition beyond college.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma was originally organized as the Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Club of Broward County on November 21, 1945 with 14 members. The original charter was presented by Mrs. Thomas Mayes from the Miami Alumnae Club.
The club grew to 50 members and it was necessary to evolve from a club to an association. It was reorganized as Ft. Lauderdale Kappa Kappa Gamma Association on May 1, 1959. Mrs. Paul Blanchard, National Director of Alumnae, presented the charter.
In 2025, we updated our association's name to Greater Fort Lauderdale Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma to better reflect the alumnae involved in our association and those we hope to get involved. We have members from Fort Lauderdale as well as many of the other great cities of Broward County, along with a few members that live in Palm Beach and Miami/Dade counties.
Philanthropies
Some of the early philanthropies supported by our association included assisting SunDial School, a school for the handicapped, and collecting books for the new Ft. Lauderdale library. We were the first group to adopt the library as our project. In January 1960, 5,000 envelopes were addressed for the Easter Seals Clinic by members of the Fort Lauderdale Alumnae Association.
In March 1969, the “Kome Kaper with Kappa” annual fundraising event was held at Pompano Harness Track and was sponsored by the Fort Lauderdale and South Palm Beach Alumnae Associations. Monies raised were donated to the sorority’s Centennial (100th) Celebration held in 1970.
Our Heels & Deals Silent Auction was held for the first time in 2011. Over the course of five years, this event raised over $10,000 for the KKG Foundation and GIRLS Academy Fund.
Our association began supporting the Broward Chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) in 2023, and continues hold Reading Is Key events at a local school. You can learn more about our recent philanthropic focus and events here.
Barbara Marko Scholarship Fund
In 1992, the Fort Lauderdale Alumnae Association began a 3-year pledge to raise $1,500 for an endowed scholarship fund named in honor of Barbara Marko, Miami. Barbara Marko served two terms as the Fort Lauderdale Alumnae Association President and was also an integral part of starting the Epsilon Zeta chapter at Florida State University. She also served as President of the Junior League of Fort Lauderdale as well as President of the Fort Lauderdale Alumnae Panhellenic from 1973-1974. She was a true Kappa lady in everyone's heart who died of cancer at an early age. The Barbara Marko Scholarship Fund has grown to over $22,000 and is currently managed by the Community Foundation of Broward. The Community Foundation of Broward was founded in 1984 by Libby Deinhart, Miami University. A $3,000 scholarship is awarded to a deserving Kappa at each Biennial Convention.
Alumnae Association Convention Awards
Our association has won a number of awards, which you can read about here.
Adelphi Bronze Society
As a member of the Adelphi Bronze Society, we have contributed over $25,000 to the KKG Foundation and have been recognized at our Biennial Conventions and the Kappa Leadership Conference for our commitment to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation.