I had the pleasure of attending two TriDelta conferences this year.  In February I was invited to Collegiate Leadership Conference (CLC) where I shared my story of applying for and receiving the Trilogy Grant after being diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. I was invited to my first TriDelta Convention where I was able to give an update on my life and properly thank the Foundation and entire organization.

The theme of convention was “Our Kind of Kind” inspired by Sarah Ida Shaw’s plan to found a society that is “kind alike to all.” There’s nothing like a convention of 500+ TriDelta members to show you that we really do all adhere to the same principles of leadership, and sisterhood.

Convention started with a welcome Lunch where we proudly filled a table with Canada Alpha and Canada Delta members. Front and center, our table was patriotically decked out in red and white candies, chocolate loonies, and Canadian flags: thank you to Michelle Mercer for the swag!

At the Awards Dinner the hall was filled with Oscar-worthy gowns. We witnessed our own Arlene Chan recognized with the coveted Woman of Achievement Award for her career as librarian, author, leader in the Chinese-Canadian community, as well as her athleticism in competitive dragon boat racing.  Arlene was honored to be able to share this experience with so many Canadian alumnae.

The Toronto Alumnae Chapter won the award for Overall Member Experience highlighting the strength of our local alumnae chapter and the work of its members.

The fourth of July kicked it off with a lengthy business meeting. Amendments called back to what it means to be brave, bold, kind, and inclusive with our membership. The evening saw the dining room transformed into a backyard barbecue party with a live country band topped off with fireworks shot off to Katy Perry’s… Firework.

Pansy brunch closed convention with keynote speaker TriDelta alumna and Woman of Achievement award winner Catherine Crier.

I am grateful to have been able to attend Convention. TriDelta is a huge operation run by women for women, and it’s empowering to be reminded of the big-picture of it all. It was also a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of my fellow alumnae members and return home with further appreciation for our own Toronto chapter.

Save the date for Convention 2020 in Orlando July 10-12!

In the Bonds,

Martha