Written by: Gloria Grace Murray (PC ‘19)

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to travel to Memphis with some of my new Tri Delta sisters to tour St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It was an amazing opportunity to see what our philanthropy was all about and to see first-hand how we impact the lives of every patient who walks through the door!

Right when I walked into the lobby of St. Jude, I was overwhelmed with emotion. We toured the entire hospital with the absolute best tour guide, who was actually a patient for most of his childhood. He currently is in college and plans to get a degree in nursing so he can become a nurse at St. Jude. He wants to give back for all the time and love St. Jude put into him. To me, this story reflects the mission of St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I saw kids running around, riding in red wagons, and laughing like they heard the funniest joke in the world. Kids with dark eyes, frail bodies, and bald heads from chemotherapy were laughing. My sadness turned into so much joy, seeing the joy these children had. It was so infectious and real, I almost forgot that they were even sick. In that moment, I truly understood why our philanthropy is so important. We continually support and donate to a hospital that leaves the diseases it treats at the at the door. St. Jude makes sure that your sickness does not define you in your time there. Whether it’s the artwork along the hallways or the Tri Delta emblem on the floor, everything in the hospital is put there with a purpose. St. Jude’s mission is to bring something good out of something so bad. Patients and families are able to feel hopeful for a lifetime that they can spend together.

The town of Memphis and St. Jude will forever be engraved in my mind. So much good came from my experience there. Not only did we get to visit St. Jude, but we also got to explore the city and form stronger bonds with all of the girls on the trip, across pledge classes and grades. I am so grateful to be a part of a sorority that plays such a huge role in furthering the mission of St. Jude and ending childhood cancer once and for all. After seeing how all of our hard work pays off, I now know better what an honor it is to wear our letters.