Pansy Patch 2016: Our Most Successful Pansy Patch Yet!

It’s hard to put into words the incredible sisterhood I witnessed at Grand Convention 2016 last week. I was able to see nearly 900 Theta women come together to celebrate the biennium’s accomplishments, reconnect after years and miles apart, and—most powerful to me as a Foundation staff member—show their support for the causes that mean most to Kappa Alpha Theta. This year’s Pansy Patch was a manifestation of this support, becoming a tangible example of Thetas’ love and thoughtfulness for all to see.

2016 marks the most successful Pansy Patch to date, as you can see by the numbers:

• $15,110 was raised for CASA in just four hours through 2,022 pansies and a generous $5,000 matching gift;
• $94,125 was raised through more than 19,000 individual $5 pansies, plus additional unrestricted donations;
• 4 Power Pansies totaling $90,000 in support were unlocked thanks to 28 generous donors who made 18 Pansy Patch Scholarships totaling $36,000 possible, as well as $54,000 in unrestricted support possible, not to mention inspiring countless gifts from Thetas, their families, and friends!
• $765 was contributed at the last minute to bring the grand total of the 2016 Pansy Patch to an even
• $200,000 raised!

But Pansy Patch is about much more than the numbers—it’s about the thoughtfulness each pansy embodies and the impact these pansies make together that are truly worth celebrating! After seeing the numbers above, check out the below impact that means so much more than dollar signs.

CASA Pansies

Continuing an opportunity that was started at Grand Convention 2014, a special pansy was offered in Phoenix as a way to support CASA with $5 pansy purchases. From the beginning of the Widest Influence for Good Luncheon at 11 a.m. MST on Saturday, June 25, until Pansy Patch closed at 3 p.m. MST, all pansies purchased at Convention and on www.PansyPatch.org were designated to National CASA.

Also continuing what was started in 2014, Former Foundation Trustee Susan Byers Patrick, Beta Omicron/Iowa, offered a $5,000 matching gift. This meant the first $5,000 in pansy purchases would be matched dollar-for-dollar. Through $5 pansy gifts, Thetas and friends at home and in Phoenix sent 2,022 pansies totaling $10,110, securing Susan’s $5,000 matching gift. In addition to the $200,000 initial gift presented during the luncheon for Theta’s three-year, $1 million commitment to National CASA, $15,110 will be donated to CASA. This brings our total donation to CASA through Grand Convention 2016 to $215,110.

Pansy Patch Scholarships & Power Pansy Donors

Pansy Patch Scholarships and the Power Pansies that unlocked them were new for 2016, and what an impact they’ve made in their first year! $36,000 in Pansy Patch Scholarships will provide a total of 18, $2,000 one-time merit-based scholarships for the 2017-2018 Academic Year! Everyone who sent a pansy credited his or her purchase to a college chapter. The chapters with the highest participation (meaning the most pansies sent) secured their place in the College Chapter Standings and one of each of the Pansy Patch Scholarships. Women from each of these college chapters are eligible to apply for a Pansy Patch Scholarship in 2017, and one woman from each chapter will receive $2,000 in financial support for her education:

1. Zeta Omega/Loyola Marymount
2. Beta Xi/UCLA
3. Epsilon Lambda/Dickinson
4. Upsilon/Minnesota
5. Alpha Omicron/Oklahoma
6. Gamma Phi/Texas Tech
7. Lambda/Vermont
8. Delta Omega/Texas A&M
9. Beta Iota/Colorado
10. Zeta Omicron/Wake Forest
11. Delta Epsilon/Arizona State
12. Alpha/DePauw
13. Beta Zeta/Oklahoma State
14. Zeta Tau/Delaware
15. Beta/Indiana
16. Zeta Mu/MIT
17. Alpha Theta/Texas
18. Alpha Pi/North Dakota

Theta Foundation couldn’t provide this additional support to our college sisters without the women behind the Pansy Patch Scholarships. Twenty-eight women made gifts of $5,000, either individually or collectively. These gifts were intended to inspire you, and inspire you they did! We are grateful to the following women whose gifts will make it possible to provide 18 scholarships next year and $54,000 in unrestricted support:

Power Pansy 1: Three Scholarships

1. Sharon Gordon-Girvin, Beta Nu/Florida State
2. Wendy Sears Goshert, Gamma/Butler
3. Karen Clark Tinsley, Epsilon Epsilon/Baylor

Power Pansy 2: Five Scholarships

4. Kendy Cusick-Rindone, Rho/Nebraska
5. The John & Amy Griffin Foundation, Delta Chi/Virginia
6. Kyle Hartvickson Handegard, Gamma Nu/North Dakota State
7. Lisa Davis Olney, Delta Epsilon/Arizona State
8. Jill Pedicord Peterson, Beta Gamma/Colorado State

Presidential Power Pansy: One Scholarship

9. Laura Ware Doerre, Delta Xi/North Carolina
10. Mary Ellen Kutsenda Fitzsimonds, Beta Kappa/Drake
11. Mary Jane Parker Beach, Beta Nu/Florida State

Final Power Pansy: Nine Scholarships

12. Cathie Waters Cardelucci, Beta Xi/UCLA
13. Dinah Hampton McClymonds, Alpha Omicron/Oklahoma
14. Vicki Laughlin McCluggage, Omicron/USC
15. Eleanor Buzuvis Chabraja, Beta/Indiana
16. Peggy Ratcliffe Roe, Alpha Omicron/Oklahoma
17. Marjie Ratcliffe Calvert, Alpha Omicron/Oklahoma
18. Emily Weirich Bandera, Beta/Indiana
19. Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity
20. Donna Levens Schmidt, Epsilon Zeta/Mississippi
21. Kathy Bennett Tonkel, Eta/Michigan
22. Lyn Stewart Simensen, Gamma Gamma/Rollins
23. Lisa Sombart Street, Alpha Mu/Missouri
24. Mary Ellen Kutsenda Fitzsimonds, Beta Kappa/Drake
25. Zita Enloe, Gamma Phi/Texas Tech
26. Carolyn Catron Woodard, Gamma Tau/Tulsa
27. Pamela Watson Bain, Alpha Phi/Tulane
28. Amy Gough Pierce, Alpha Theta/Texas

Pansy Planters

Pansy Patch is certainly my favorite Theta Foundation fundraiser, and I know it is a favorite of many Theta members, too! That is clearly seen by the top Pansy Planters as reflected through pansies purchased at www.PansyPatch.org. Our top 10 planters were:

1. Christiane Hoffman, Zeta Omega/Loyola Marymount (Christiane was standing at the Pansy Patch desk at 2:59 p.m. before we closed up to ensure Zeta Omega would be first in the Standings. Not only that, when asked if anyone at Convention was willing to make a $765 gift to wrap-up Pansy Patch with an even dollar amount, Christiane stepped right up. We admire Christiane’s tenacity and are grateful for her support!)
2. TJ Flynn Condon, Epsilon Lambda/Dickinson
3. Lisa Davis Olney, Delta Epsilon/Arizona State
4. Epsilon Lambda/Dickinson
5. Sophie Koff, Lambda/Vermont
6. Katy Oldham, Zeta Mu/MIT
7. Christa Dell Sobon, Delta Zeta/Emory
8. Kelly Erskine, Upsilon/Minnesota
9. Jane Shepherd Dick, Epsilon Mu/Princeton
10. Ann Katzenbach Harris, Beta Delta/Arizona

Just as every name listed in the Pansy Patch display at the Arizona Biltmore represented one $5 pansy given thoughtfully to a sister, every name and chapter listed above represents a woman or women who are giving back to the organization they love and support. Because of you, Pansy Patch was a spectacular display of love, thoughtfulness, and Theta sisterhood. Because of you, we can help our sisters reach their fullest potential.

See you in 2018 for the 6th biennial Pansy Patch!

Thank you for making Pansy Patch 2016 our most successful Pansy Patch to date! To learn more about Pansy Patch, visit www.PansyPatch.org. You can support Theta Foundation any time by making a donation here.